【Chai Buey 菜尾】 （Sourish Spicy Vegetables Soup/Stew)

这道菜的名字应该要用闽南话来念, “Chai Buey”在闽南语里就是“剩菜”的意思，这么一说，听起来就不像很好吃的样子，可殊不知这道菜是许多马来西亚家庭过节时最喜欢的一道菜。

这道菜通常在春节年初三的时候做，为什么是年初三呢？因为自除夕夜的年夜饭至年初一、二连续三天的大鱼大肉之后，冰箱里大概已经堆积下许多吃不完的肉菜，而大伙儿的肠胃也快开始吃不消了。

这道菜的主要调味料亚参片/Assam keping--"Garcinia Cambogia", 是一种亚热带产的酸果，在东南亚经常拿来入菜，因为它味酸，有开胃消脂的作用，西方许多天然减肥产品里都带有这个果子的成份，它可堪称为东南亚的山楂呢！

过节时在家来一碗菜尾，即开胃消食又不浪费，是不是很能代表闽南人&客家人节俭又勤奋的传统呢？这道菜因为各家用的剩菜都不一样，所以每家每次做出来的味道也都稍微有点不同，让这道菜更耐人寻味呢！

The name Chai Buey literally means 'leftovers', in many Malaysian Chinese households, this is one of the essential parts of the any celebration especially Chinese new year, after days of cooking and eating big (meat) meals for celebration, all we and our stomach want is probably just a simple easy to digest dish.

This dish is also a very clever way to use leftover meat dishes, the main ingredient used in this dish is Assam keping--"Garcinia Cambogia", a potent ingredient that gave the dish its distinctive sourish taste. Assam Keping/Garcinia Cambogia is also used to aid digestion and weight control in the west, you can find it in capsule forms too.

By the sound of it, you can already feel that this dish is not only delicious, it also gives our overworked digest system a much needed break during the weeks long of celebration.

Preparing it is also easy and effortless, it is just a matter of adding all the leftover meat dishes and vegetables into a big pot and simmer until everything is tender and flavor well blended. The Assam keping and dried chilies came in to give it a sourish and spicy kick. Since the leftover dishes added may be different every time every household, we can safely say that this dish could turn out slightly different every time it is made!

Which is another reason why it is so enticing!

材料:
2 碗 剩下的肉菜  or 400 克的 烧肉烧鸡
1 大把 大芥菜 (Gai Choy）
2 根 胡萝卜 (削皮切滚刀块)   Optional
1 litre / 5 cups 水
5-6 片 亚参片/Assam keping/Assam gelugor
8-10 根辣椒干 (洗净)
1 头 大蒜 （去薄膜洗净)
适量盐和糖

Ingredients:

2 rice bowls of leftover meat from other dishes  Or 400 gm of pork belly
1 head of Chinese green mustard (Gai Choy/芥菜）
2 carrots (Peel and cut into big pieces)   Optional
1 litre / 5 cups of water
5-6 slices of Assam keping/Assam gelugor
8-10 dried red chillies (cleaned)
1 head of garlic (remove thin film and cleaned)
salt and sugar to taste

亚参片的样子

The Assam Gelugor/Keping that my friend brought for me all the way from Malaysia

1. 这道菜我是做了带去中秋节聚餐的，因为家里没有剩菜，我就自己腌制了一些五花肉，把五花肉切大块，加1 tbsp酱油和 1 tbsp料酒腌一晚上，第二天入烤箱高火烤制12分钟。

2. 把烤好的肉块和辣椒干，亚参片和蒜头一起加入一口锅里，我还加了点酱鸭到锅里。

3. 倒入1公升的水，煮滚之后加入胡萝卜，中火煮5分钟。加盐和糖调味（根据剩菜的味道调整。）

注：这个时候如果觉得酸味不够可以酌量加1-2片亚参片。

4. 把大芥菜洗净用手掰成巴掌大的块状，我觉得掰开的芥菜口感比较好，你也可以用切的，加入芥菜之后再焖炖20-30分钟至芥菜变软即可。

1. Since I do not have any leftover meat dishes at home, I made a simple roast pork belly to go with this dish. Cut pork belly into big chunk. Marinate with 1 tbsp of soy sauce and 1 tbsp of cooking wine overnight. Place the pork pieces over a greased baking pan, broil for 10 minutes.

2. Add the roasted pork with dried chillies, Assam keping and whole head of garlic. I also added a few pieces of duck stew that I have in the fridge.

3. Add 1 litre water into the pot and bring to boil, cook for 3-5 minutes, add carrot pieces and boil for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and sugar (this really is depending on the taste of those meat dishes you add into the stew).

Note: You can add more Assam keping if the taste is less sour.

4. Cleaned and break the mustard green with hand, I personally think breaking the mustard without cutting it makes better texture in the dish, you can also cut the mustard into big pieces using knife. Add the mustard green and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes or until the mustard green is soft and tender.

酸辣开胃的菜尾！Serve with steamed white rice.

中文 -- 菜尾 Chai Buey