When I was growing up, being Teochew, soup is not really a thing in my family. But I remembered, one of the soup which Mum usually cooked was this simple Kiam Chye Ark soup. I still love this soup till this day. It is appetizing and extremely good to have especially when it is piping hot and you pour the soup, together with a portion of the duck and vegetables, over some steamed rice. Yum, yum… It is just amazing!! 🙂
In Teochew, Salted Mustard Greens/Salted Vegetables is Kiam Chye and Duck is Ark. This is how the name of soup, “Kiam Chye Ark”, is derived. Based on my memory of how my Mum will cook it, she used only 4 main ingredients; duck, salted mustard greens, pickled plums and tomatoes. This soup is simple and easy to make and I am sure you will love it too!
We love to hear from you so once you have tried this recipe, we hope that you could provide us with some feedback/comments. Like and follow us on Beyond Norm’s Facebook Page and subscribe to our blog. Follow us on Instagram (@TheRealBeyondNorm) and YouTube (@BeyondNormEats), to get the latest exciting updates and videos. We would also like to welcome you to join our Mummy’s Kitchen Facebook Group for food lovers like you, whether newbie or veteran.
Serves 4 to 5 persons
Ingredients
½ duck (weighing about 1.2kg)
300g salted mustard green (kiam chye)
4 to 5 pieces pickled plums
2 medium-sized tomatoes
Some chopped coriander leaves & spring onions for garnishing (optional)
Some ground white pepper (optional)
2.2 litre water
Method:
- Cut the duck into ½.
- Rinse and clean duck thoroughly.
- Transfer into a stock pot.
- Wash mustard greens and soak for 5 minutes.
- Drain and cut them into pieces and add them into the pot.
- Lightly crush the pickled plums and add them into the pot.
- Wash and cut each tomato into 4 wedges and add them into the pot.
- Add water into the pot and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until the duck is tender.
- Remove any excess fat by skimming the surface of the soup with a spoon.
- Before serving taste and add salt if necessary.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and spring onions.
- Sprinkle some white pepper if you are adding.
- Serve with steamed white rice.
what is salted mustard greens? Do you just salt them to remove bitterness or is it a prepared ingredient I have to purchase?
Hi Alan, salted mustard greens is a purchased pre-prepared ingredient. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Josephine! My first time making this soup and it was a resounding SUCCESS! I love the short list of ingredients and how easy it was to prepare.
My youngest sis loves this soup but is too busy to cook it so I decided to make it for her. Not for my Teochew hubby but for her LOL although he got to QC it 🙂 Both gave thumbs up so I will be cooking this again. Thank you so much!
Hi Celine, I’m glad to hear that your youngest sis and husband loved the dish! 😀 Thank you for such positive feedback, and we look forward to your continuous support. 🙂 Happy Cooking!