A clear, tangy-nourishing Nyonya duck soup simmered with salted mustard greens, preserved sour plums and dried tamarind slices. A comforting classic that fuses Teochew salted-vegetable duck soup with the Nyonya love of sour notes.
Itek tim, also kiam chye ark, is a clear, tangy-nourishing Nyonya duck soup. It fuses a Teochew salted-vegetable duck soup heritage with the Nyonya love of sour notes, using salted mustard greens, preserved sour plums and dried tamarind slices (asam gelugur) for the tang. The dish is a comforting classic of Peranakan home cooking, eaten at family meals, and the long, slow simmer draws the duck flavour into the broth.
A clear, light, deeply savoury broth with a clean sourness from the plums and tamarind, the duck tender and falling off the bone. Eaten with rice, it is restorative, tangy and clean.
The duck is blanched first to remove scum, then simmered long and slow with the salted mustard greens (which give both salt and a deep, fermented sour), the preserved sour plums (which give a fruity tang), and the dried tamarind slices (which give a clean citrus-like acidity). The long simmer is necessary to render the duck tender and to draw its flavour into the broth. The soup is skimmed to stay clear.
Variations
A richer version adds tomatoes. Some cooks include a knob of ginger.
On the Palate
Where Itek Tim sits in the Malaysian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 20 min
- 15 min
Blanch 1 whole duck (about 1.8kg) in boiling water 5 minutes; drain.
Watch outBlanch the duck five minutes and drain the scummy water — this first boil pulls out the impurities so the finished soup stays clear, not muddy.
- 25 min
Soak 150g salted mustard greens in water 30 minutes to control salt; drain.
- 35 min
Place the duck in a pot with 3 litres water, the drained mustard greens, 8 preserved sour plums, 4 dried tamarind slices, 3 slices ginger and 2 tomatoes; bring to a boil.
- 430 min
Skim the scum, then cover and simmer 90 minutes until the duck is very tender.
Watch outSkim, then simmer low and slow the full time until the duck is very tender — the long gentle cook draws its flavour into the sour broth without clouding it.
- 58 min
Lift out the duck, carve it, and return the pieces to the broth.
- 64 min
Taste for salt and sour, adjust, and serve hot in deep bowls.
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