Kyay Oh (ကြေးအိုး)

Ingredients

• Soup Ingredients
• Pork Knee Bones  - at least 4 pieces, preferably 6 or 8 pieces
• Ginger – 3 or 4 pieces each of which is about one inch size
• Nutmeg – 1 piece
• Star Anise Seed – 1 piece
• Cinnamon Sticks – Half of a stick (or one stick)
• Soup seasoning
• Salt – 4 tsp
• Sugar – 6 tsp
• MSG – 2 tsp
• Chicken Boullion – ½ to 1 tsp 

Thoroughly wash the bone pieces off. First, put the bone pieces and put the water just to cover the bone pieces in 7Qt pot. Let the water boil.
When it’s boiling well, let it boil for another 5 minutes. This is to let blood foam from the bone pieces out.
Pour the water. Wash bone pieces off again. Then, fill the water to the half of the 7 Qt pot. Let it boil. Then, add the bone pieces. Let it boil for 10-15 minutes. Then, turn the heat into low heat and let it boil for another 2 hours or so by covering the lid up. Occasionally, remove the blood foam which floats on the top of the boiling water to keep the soup clear. After 2 hours, transfer the soup from 7Qt non-sticky pot to 10 Qt stainless steel pot.
Add more water almost to the top of the pot, leave about 2.5 inches from the pot rim.
This is to allow later for other ingredients so that they don’t overflow the pot. Then, add the soup seasoning. Exactly follow the above ratio for this given amount of soup. Keep the soup warm by simmering it on the stove by covering it with the lid.

Kyay-Oh ingredients

While waiting for the soup to boil for 2 hours, prepare the following ingredients.

1. Tofu – 1 cube

Out of all other ingredients, cut the tofu off into about 1 inch pieces.  Then cut them diagonally to get triangle shapes.  Core the middle of each of the tofu triangles and remove the flesh.  Put the tofu flesh into a bowl.

Then, Put all the tofu triangles into a bowl.  Add plenty of salt and fill up the water into the bowl to cover up all tofu pieces.  This will make the tofu tastier instead of being so bland.

2. Garlic – 1 and half garlic (or) about 10-15 segments

Peel the garlic off.  Then, put them into the chopper or food processor and mince them.  Put aside them in a little bowl.

3. Ginger – 1 inch piece

Cut it into small slices and mince them off in the chopper or food processor.  Set it aside in a little bowl.

4. Fish paste (Yatcht- “Ywet Hlay” or Tower – “Bone Saung or Koe Htet Saung” branch;  Available in Chinese grocery stores of LA) – 1 container

Take it out from the freezer and thaw it by putting the container in the warm water in a big bowl.

5. Buy the fresh fish paste – ½ lb from 99 ranch (optional)

6. Ground Pork Ball 

Ingredients

Ground Pork – 2 lbs

Fish paste – about 2 to 3 tsp

Tofu flesh at #1 (smash them thoroughly with hand not to leave any big chunks)

Egg – 1 (beat it in a separate bowl)

Minced Ginger – 1 tsp (use from the bowl prepared at step#3)

Minced Garlic – 1 tsp (use from the bowl prepared at step#2)

Light Soy Sauce – 2 tsp

Sugar – 2 tsp

Sesame oil – 1 tsp

Tapioca Starch – 6 to 8 tsp

White pepper powder – a little bit

Black Pepper powder – a little bit (make sure that black pepper powder is less than white pepper powder)

Mix everything thoroughly in a bowl not to evenly marinate everything.

Cover the bowl with the plastic and put it in the freezer

7. Fish ball

Ingredients

Fish paste – at step#4 and #5

Minced Garlic – 1 tsp (use the one prepared at step#2)

Minced Ginger – ½ tsp (use the one prepared at step#3)

Salt – ½ tsp

Chicken boulion – 1 tsp

Egg White – 1 (Keep the egg yolk in the egg shell)

Flour – 2 tsp

Tapioca starch – 1 tsp

Mix everything very thoroughly in a bowl.  While making the fish ball, grease your hand with cooking oil to prevent the fish ball from stick to the hand.  This way, it’ll also prevent the fish balls from sticking to the plate when you put them.  Occasionally grease your hand throughout of making the fish balls.

8. Pork Stomach or Pork Maw – About 6-inch piece (preferably the one which has already been cooked).

Even the one which has already been cooked,  boil it again in a pot to make sure that it’s well-done and soft.  Set aside.  When it’s ready, pour the hot water.  Wash it off with cold water.  Then, cut them into strips.

9. Quail Eggs – 1 container or box (12 pcs)

Boil I them in the small pot about 15-20 minutes.  Let cool and peel if off.  Put them aside.

10. Green onion – 2 stalks 

Wash them off.  Mince them into small pieces and put them aside

11. Chives – 15 to 12 stalks

Wash them off.  Cut them into 2-inch pieces

12. Mustard green – One package

Wash them off.  Cut them into 1.5-inch pieces.  Put them in the bowl.

13. Cooked Garlic (Si Chat)

In a frying pan, add about 10 tsp of oil.  Add all the remaining minced garlic at step#2.  Add turmeric powder to get the desired yellow color.  When the garlic starting to get brown, turn the heat off.  The remaining heat will keep cooking the garlic to get the golden brown color.  Be careful not to overcook or make the garlic turn black.

14. Rice noodles – 2 packets

Separate them and put them a bowl

15. Rice Vermicelli – 2 segments

Soak it in the cold water for about 15-20 minutes.  Boil them in a pot until it becomes al dente.  Drain hot water and put them a bowl.

16. Pork meat balls – 2 packets

Boil them in the soup for about 5-10 minutes.  When they float, take them out and set them aside in the bowl.

17. Take the container ladle out for Kyay-Oh if you have one.
18. Boil the fish ball in the container ladle.  When they float, they are well cooked and set them aside.
19. Boil the minced pork in the pot by making about 1.5-inch piece.  When they float, they are well cooked and set them aside in a bowl.
20. Boil the tofu triangles in the soup.  Let them sit in the pot.  You can take them out but they are soft so you might smash them, better to leave it in there.

Kyay-Oh preparation

1. Add chopped mustard greens and chives into the ladle.  Add quail egg, pork meat balls: both homemade at #19 and store bought at #16, fish ball, let them boil for a few minutes to have the veggies cooked for a while.  Then add in rice noodle or mixed of rice noodle and rice vermicelli.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Filter soup from ladle.  Put everything in a bowl.  Then, add soup.  Ready to serve.  Sprinkle with minced green onions if you prefer.

Kyay-Oh Si Chat preparation

1. Add about 1 to 2 tsp of si chat into a bowl.  Add 1 to 2 tsp of light soy sauce.  Lightly mix them in a bowl.  

Prepare the rest of the ingredients as in aforementioned kyay-oh preparation section.  Make sure that most of the soup are drained from the ladle before transfering the cooked kyay-oh ingredients into the bowl. Mix them thoroughly.  Garnish with minced green onion and a little bit minced garlic from Si chat.  

If you want to pair it with the soup, put the soup in a little bowl.  Sprinkle with minced lightly cooked chives and minced green onions.  Add a pinch of white and black pepper powder.

Add Siracha in a little bowl.

Ready to serve!!