1.2 | lb | ground pork |
2 | tbsp | water (for the meatballs) |
2.5 | tbsp | soy sauce |
2 | tbsp | Shaoxing wine |
1 | tsp | sesame oil (for meatballs) |
0.5 | tsp | black pepper (for meatballs) |
0.5 | tsp | sugar |
1 | unit | egg white |
1 | tbsp | ginger, minced |
1 | unit | scallions, chopped (for meatballs) |
0.25 | tsp | salt (for meatballs) |
3.2 | oz | fake ground meat |
1.25 | package | glass noodles, approx 50g? |
0.5 | lb | spinach |
1 | tbsp | oil |
1 | unit | scallions, chopped |
3 | cup | chicken stock |
1 | cup | vegetable stock |
2 | cup | water |
0.5 | tsp | black pepper |
0.5 | tsp | sesame oil |
0.7 | lb | tofu, preferably frozen and thawed before cookcrew |
0.7 | lb | carrot, sliced |
0.5 | bunch | cilantro, chopped |
https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-winter-melon-soup-meatballs/
!! separate no pork and no cooking wine for Emira, and no pork for sasha!! feel free to omit shaoxing wine if too much work.
Note: Frozen tofu is so rockin' in soup. Make sure to move it into the fridge a day before so it can thaw. It should become much easier to press and take on a spongier texture.
Note: Use approx 1/4-1/3 of the meatball ingredients [water, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, pepper, sugar, egg white, ginger (minced), scallion (finely chopped), salt] for the vegetarians.
Make the meat and meatless balls using the directions below (just sub the pork for fake meat for the vegetarians):
Put all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl, and whip in one direction for at least 10 minutes by hand using a pair of chopsticks. Use a vigorous circular motion, until the ground meat mixture becomes thick and pasty, with a little resistance as you whip. You can also do this using the paddle attachment of your electric mixer on low speed for 6-7 minutes.
Now, form the meatballs. Brush both of your palms with oil to prevent sticking, take a large spoonful of the meat mixture, and roll it into a ball using both palms. The meatballs should be the size of a golf ball. Arrange them on a lightly oiled plate with space between them. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the soup.
TO ASSEMBLE THE SOUP:
Soak the glass noodles in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain and cut the noodles in half lengthwise. Set aside.
Rinse and chop the napa cabbage.
Cut the tofu into ~3/4" cubes.
Place a soup pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook the white parts of the scallions for about a minute. Then add chicken stock (or veg stock for vegetarians), water, cabbage, carrot, and tofu (for both meat and veg versions). Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
When the soup is boiling, carefully lower the meatballs into the soup using a spoon. Add in pepper and sesame oil. Bring to a boil again. Add the glass noodles, stir, and salt to taste. Boil for another 3-4 minutes, garnish with cilantro and serve!