A rich, spice-laden mutton soup cooked bone-in for deep marrow flavour, credited to the Tamil-Muslim community. Served steaming with bread or roti, a hearty aromatic broth of the mamak stall.
Sup kambing mamak is a rich, spice-laden mutton soup credited to the Indian-Muslim (Tamil Muslim) community of Malaysia and Singapore, invented mid-20th century at mamak stalls. Bone-in mutton is slow-simmered with whole spices, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel and cumin, turmeric, coriander, mint and curry leaves, for deep marrow flavour. It is distinct from Malay sup tulang, and is served steaming with bread or roti, a hearty aromatic broth of the mamak stall.
A clear, deep, golden broth with intense mutton and marrow flavour, the whole spices perfuming it, the meat falling off the bone. Dipped with bread or roti, it is restorative, aromatic and rib-sticking.
The mutton is blanched first to remove scum, then simmered long and slow with a whole-spice mix (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel, cumin) tied or loose, plus turmeric, ground coriander, mint and curry leaves. The long simmer draws the marrow and collagen from the bones into the broth, giving it body without thickening. Potatoes are added late to soak up the broth. The whole spices are the signature, distinguishing it from a plain meat soup.
Variations
A bone-marrow version adds sawn marrow bones. Some cooks add tomato and lime at the end.
On the Palate
Where Sup Kambing Mamak sits in the Malaysian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
6 steps · 25 min
- 15 min
Blanch 800g bone-in mutton in boiling water 5 minutes; drain.
- 25 min
In a pot, dry-roast 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 4 cardamom pods, 1 tsp fennel and 1 tsp cumin until fragrant.
- 330 min
Add 2.5 litres water, the blanched mutton, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic and a sprig of curry leaves; simmer covered 90 minutes.
Watch outSimmer covered a full ninety minutes so the bones give up their marrow and collagen — that slow draw is what gives the broth its body.
- 410 min
Add 300g potato chunks; simmer 20 minutes until the potato is tender.
Watch outAdd the potato only near the end — go in too early and it falls apart and clouds the broth before it's tender.
- 54 min
Season with salt and a squeeze of lime; scatter chopped mint and coriander.
- 64 min
Serve steaming hot with bread or roti for dipping.
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