Pork Meatball and Vermicelli Soup does not use soup stock or dashi stock. The broth is made by cooking pork meatballs that are full of flavours. The addition of vermicelli and bok choy completes the soup, making it suitable not only as a soup but also as a light main dish.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 250g/0.6lb pork mince (note 1)
- 2 dried shiitake mushrooms (medium size), rehydrated and finely chopped
- 30g/1.1oz green onion finely chopped (slightly less than ½ cup)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tbsp cooking sake
- ½ tsp grated ginger
- 1 egg white (note 2)
- ½ tbsp corn flour/cornstarch
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 1.2L/2.5pt water
- 100g/3.5oz bok choy (note 3)
- 40g/1.4oz green bean vermicelli (note 4)
- ½ -1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cooking sake
- A pinch of pepper
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Put pork mince, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, soy sauce, cooking sake, and ginger in a bowl. Mix well until the mixture becomes sticky.
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Add egg white to the bowl and mix well. The mince initially splits into chunks coated in egg white, but they will come together. Put your hand into the mince mixture with fingers apart and move your hand in a circular motion to mix the mince.
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Add corn flour to the bowl and mix well, then add sesame oil. Mix well in the same way as above until the mixture becomes very sticky.
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Cut the bok choy in half to separate the thick white stems and the soft green leaves.
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Halve the white stem parallel to the first cut so that the length of the white stem becomes 5-7cm/2-2¾" long. If your bok choy is very small, you don't need to halve the white stem.
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Cut each white piece perpendicular to the previous cut, making 3-4 battens.
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Halve the green leaves if leaves are very long.
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Put 1.2L water in a pot and bring it to a boil.
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Grab mince mixture with the left hand (I am a right hander) and squeeze out mince through the thumb and the index finger. The mince will come out forming a round shape (note 5).
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Use a knife or a spoon to take the meatball and drop it into the boiling water. Repeat this for the rest of the mince mixture.
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Remove the scum as it rises.
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Add ½ teaspoon of salt, sake, and pepper to the pot. Then add the white part of the bok choy pieces to the pot (note 6).
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After cooking for a minute, add the remaining bok choy pieces and vermicelli to the pot. Cook for a couple of minutes.
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Taste-test the broth and add some more salt if required (note 7). Turn the heat off.
1. You can substitute pork mince with chicken mince, although the flavour of the broth will be different. It is best to use chicken thigh mince or breast mince with some fat added to it, like Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatballs).
2. My egg white was about 30g/1.1oz. You can use beaten egg or egg yolk instead. A slight difference in the weight of the egg is not a big issue in this recipe.
3. Instead of bok choy, you can use other Asian greens such as buk choy, choy sum, and gai choy. You can also use spinach.
4. As an alternative, you can use mung bean vermicelli or rice vermicelli, but they are not translucent like green bean vermicelli when cooked.
5. This is the same method used in my recipe Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatballs).
The size of the circle made with your thumb and index finger determines the size of the meatball, and therefore the number of meatballs. I made 18 meatballs.
6. If you are using different green leafy vegetables, the timing of adding them may vary depending on how quickly the vegetables get cooked. For example, if you are using chopped spinach, you add them at the very end.
7. I only needed ½ teaspoon of salt. But if you are used to a stronger flavour, you may need a bit more salt. It also depends on how much water is in the broth.
8. The soup keeps for a couple of days in the fridge, but do not leave the vermicelli in the soup because it will absorb liquid and lose its texture.
If you are intending to have it the following day, add more vermicelli when reheating the soup.
9. Nutrition per serving assuming 3 servings.
serving: 178g calories: 326kcal fat: 20g (26%) saturated fat: 6.9g (35%) trans fat: 0.0g polyunsaturated fat: 2.6g monounsaturated fat: 8.8g cholesterol: 60mg (20%) sodium: 772mg (34%) carbohydrates: 17g (6%) dietary fibre: 1.3g (5%) sugar: 1g protein: 17g vitamin D: 0mcg (0%) calcium: 66mg (5%) iron: 1.7mg (9%) potassium: 456mg (10%)