 Sup kepala kambing, goat's head soup served in Indonesia. | |
| Alternative names | Sop kambing |
|---|---|
| Type | Soup |
| Course | Main course |
| Associatedcuisine | Indonesia,[1]Malaysia,[2]Singapore[2] |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Mutton orgoat meat |
Sup kambing orsop kambing (Indonesian andMalay for 'goatsoup') is aSoutheast Asianmuttonsoup, commonly found inBrunei Darussalam,Indonesia,Malaysia,Singapore.[1][2] It is prepared withgoat meat, tomato, celery,spring onion, ginger,candlenut and lime leaf, its broth is yellowish in colour.[1]Sup kambing is quite widespread as numbers of similar goat meat soup recipes can be found throughout Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
In Indonesia, it is mostly associated withMalay ofMedan,[3]Betawi[4] andMadurese cuisine,[5] although it is also common in Java. Nevertheless,Javanese are more likely to cook their goat meat astongseng or Javanese-style soupygulai instead. Traditionally,sup kambing together withgulai andsate kambing are quite widespread duringEid al-Adha, as large amount of goat meat and offals being distributed among people.
In Malaysia,sup kambing is also associated with the MuslimMalaysian Indian community and believed to be of Indian origin. In Singapore, the dish is also associated with the MuslimIndian community of the island.[6]
Despite its wide popularity inMaritime Southeast Asia, the question of origin however, might be owed to the Arabs and Muslim Indian migrations into the region.Sup kambing is believed to be of Arab origin, brought by the influx ofArabs migrants into theMalay Archipelago between the 18th century to 19th century, duringcolonial era.[7] The Arabs settlers introduced and promotedgoat,lamb and mutton as their preferred meat, thus several dishes influenced by Arab and Muslim Indian culinary traditions were introduced to Sumatra, Malay peninsula and Java. Around the same period, other mutton or goat-based dishes such assate kambing,gulai kambing andtongseng also appeared inJava.[8]
The early Arab immigrants settled in coastal towns of Sumatra and Java, and subsequently influenced the culture of native ethnic groups includingMalays, theBetawis of Batavia (Jakarta), alsoJavanese andMadurese of East Java. Thesup kambing was adopted by locals, and often linked to the Islamic festival ofkurban (Eid al-Adha), where large numbers of cattle – including goats, are slaughtered and distributed among people. As the result, despite its Arab origin, today in Indonesiasup kambing is more associated with Malay, Madurese, and Betawi cuisine. Indonesiansup kambing uses carrot, tomato, and sometimes potato, which hints its European (possibly Portuguese or Dutch) influences. Tomato and potato are not available in Southeast Asia until European colonials brought them from the Americas around the 17th century. Thesup kambing fromMedan in North Sumatra however, is closer to the Malaysian version, since they commonly derived from Muslim Indian culture.
InMalay Peninsula region, which today includes Malaysia and Singapore, the most popular version issup kambing Mamak which is believed to have been invented by the MuslimIndian community there, where the use of typical spices is quite notable.[9] There is no exact equivalent of this soup in Indian sub-continent, although the spices used and the style of cooking clearly demonstrates Indian influence.[6] The most famoussup kambing in Singapore is thesup tulang merah which was invented by Baharudeen, Abdul Hameed (mammaka) and Abdul Kadir who were migrants from a remote village Thopputhurai in Tamilnadu. These three shops are located at Jalan Sultan, Beach Road. The dish is also adopted by nativeMalays in both countries.
There are many versions ofsup kambing recipes, however there are two main groups ofsup kambing traditions; the Indonesian version are derived mainly from Arab, and to some extent, Dutch influences, while Malaysian and Singaporean version is often called assup kambing Mamak which solely derived from Muslim Indian influences. Other main differences are the Malaysian and Singaporean version consists of the chunks of goat meat in yellowish, rather thick and oily broth with rich spices; while in Indonesian version, the goat meat often also includes its bones (ribs or leg bones), has a lighter broth and balanced spices, and it also contains slices of vegetables including tomato, leek, celery, carrot and sometimes potato.[6]
A simplesup kambing recipe usesgoat meat, slices of tomato, leek, celery, and ground spices which includes;ginger, pepper, garlic,shallot and salt.[10] However, another elaborate recipes might add more complexspices, which might includescardamom,cinnamon,candlenut,nutmeg,clove andstar anise to add aroma and taste.[11]
In Indonesia the soup is prepared in rich savoury broth with spices and ingredients similar to other Indonesian favourite,sop buntut (oxtail soup). Commonsop kambing uses goat meat, also its ribs; however, in Indonesia there is a more specificsop kambing calledsop kepala kambing which usesoffals of goat's head, which includes its tongue, ear, lips and cheek meats, eyes and sometimes brain. Another specificsup kambing is calledsop kaki kambing which uses goat's trotters.[12]
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