5 c Pork stock [Chicken works
-just fine. S.C.]
1/2 c Minced or ground pork
1 tb Chopped garlic
3 tb Fish sauce
1/2 c Tapioca
1/2 c Cooked or canned crab meat
Pepper
Tapioca is a plant product made from the roots of the cassava plant-
~also called manioc. It's a major product in Thailand and I saw
"tapioca trees" all over the place. The plant itself isn't a tree,
but they take the rootstocks and tie them into bundles which they set
upright in the fields so they don't rot during the rainy season.
Leaves sprout from the top of the bundle and the whole thing looks
like a tree. The root has a poisonous acid in it that has to be
removed by cooking. Those little balls are actually made++like
risotto or "rice pasta". It's usually used to make sweet puddings
here, but in the Orient it's used to make thick, savory soups. Like
this one!
Heat the stock to simmering in a large pan. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot
stock into a bowl and stir in the pork. Return mixture to the pan.
Add the garlic and fish sauce to taste, then add the tapioca and cook
for 5 to 10 minutes. When the tapioca is clear, add the crab meat
and season to taste with pepper. Remove from the heat. Line
individual soup bowls with the lettuce. Pour in the soup and
sprinkle with coriander leaves.
From "Discover Thai Cooking" by Chaslin, Canungmai and Tettoni, Times
Editions, Singapore. 1987.
This is a simple, excellent soup and subject to all sorts of
variations.
