Bowl of Barley and Beef Soup
(click to enlarge)

Barley & Beef Soup


Tibet   -   Ney Tuk
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2+ cup
**
10-1/2 hrs
Yes		 This is a substantial Tibetan soup with a good mix of flavors and textures. I have made a number of changes to the pattern recipe, all in keeping with Tibetan practice, as explained in Note-7.




3/4
11
8
4
1
8
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6
1
1/4
1
1
c
oz
oz
cl
in
oz
---
c

t
t
T
Barley (1)
Beef (2)
Mushroom (3)
Garlic
Ginger Root
Chard, white (4)
---------
Water
Bouillon Cube (5)  
Chili Flake (6)
Salt
Olive Oil
Do Ahead   -   (6 hrs - 3 min work)
  1. Soak BARLEY 6 hours, or overnight with plenty of water.
Prep   -   (45 min)
  1. Slice BEEF thin and cut into strips about 1-1/4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide.
  2. Slice MUSHROOMS to a size similar to the Beef.
  3. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice GINGER very thin, cut the slices into threads, then fine crosswise. Mix.
  4. Chop CHARD fairly small.
Run   -   (1-1/2 hr)
  1. Drain the Barley. Place in a 3-qt Saucepan along with Mushrooms, Bouillon Cube and Water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile:   In a skillet or sauté pan, heat Olive Oil and fry Garlic mix until threatening to color. Stir in Beef and fry stirring until it has completely lost its raw color and any exuded liquid has evaporated.
  3. At the 45 minute mark, stir Beef mix into the pot along with Chili Flake and Salt. Simmer another 30 minutes.
  4. Check seasoning and add Water if needed. Just before serving, stir in Chard and bring to a boil. Simmer another 5 minutes.
  5. Serve Hot.
NOTES:

  1. Barley:

      This should be light brown, very lightly pearled barley, not the white excessively pearled barley found in North American supermarkets. For details see our Barley page.

  2. Beef:

      I prefer Chuck, which is more tender than the Top Round called for by the pattern recipe.

  3. Mushrooms:

      In Tibet these would be harvested wild, but Tibetans outside Tibet often use Oyster Mushrooms. I very much favor the small King Trumpet Oyster Mushrooms now commonly available in Southern California Asian markets, though the big ones would also work, cut a little thinner. For details see our Fungus page.

  4. Chard:

      [Swiss Chard]   The pattern recipe calls for "Spinach", but Über expert Julie Sahni assures us that our Spinach is not grown in the Indian Subcontinent, and that Chard is much closer to what is called "Spinach" there.

  5. Bouillon Cube

      A Beef cube is preferred. Bouillon Cubes are much used in regions that lack refrigeration of sufficient capacity to store soup stock, and are also much favored by European chefs, but you can use stock if you have it on hand.

  6. Chili Flake

      I use Indian Khandela or Reshampatti, which are fairly hot. Korean would be less hot. Use the type you want in the amount you prefer. For details see our Chili Powder / Flake page.

  7. Changes:

      I have made substantial changes from the pattern recipe, other than using Chard instead of "Spinach". All are in keeping with other Tibetan recipes in my posession. Most important: the recipe called for "12 dried black mushrooms". This seemed excessive, and did overwhelm the recipe. I call for the fresh Oyster Mushrooms many Tibetan expats use in place of Tibetan Sesha mushrooms. This worked very well. Oddly, the recipe stirs in the Garlic mix at the midpoint "with the Olive Oil". Olive Oil isn't in the ingredients list. Other Tibetan recipes fry the garlic / ginger mix in oil before adding to soups or stews, so I presume a missing step. I used a little Olive Oil to fry the Garlic mix until softened, then stirred in the Beef and fried it. This I added to the soup at the midway step, and it worked well.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste, lrg=large
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