This is a quick from-scratch soup that you can make in 30 minutes. No canned broth, no artificial anything. Actually, it’s more like a cross between Chinese jook (porridge) and a soup. And please, don’t call it “joop”. You can use any vegetables that you have. The firmer the vegetables, the thinner you have to slice them so they cook in 30 minutes. For this soup, you don’t wash the rice, as we want all of that starch to thicken the soup. The more you stir the pot, the thicker the soup gets. You can also add ½ cup (110 g) of rice if you like the thicker jook style.
Ingredients
- ½ lb (250 g) ground beef
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
- Freshly ground black pepper to season the beef
- Pinch of sugar
- 1 teaspoon high-heat cooking oil
- 4 cups (1 liter) water
- ¼ cup (55 g) uncooked rice
- 1 tomato, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 carrot, shredded
- ¼ cup (40 g) frozen peas
- Salt or soy sauce to taste
How to Make It
- In a bowl, mix together the beef with the soy sauce, wine, black pepper and sugar.
- Set a medium pot over high heat. When the pot is hot, add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the ground beef mixture and fry for 2 minutes, breaking up the beef as you go.
- Pour in the water, rice, tomato and carrot and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. The rice should be fully cooked and soft. Add the frozen peas and cook for another minute. Taste and, if needed, add just ½ teaspoon of salt or soy sauce. You can always add more.
