Asian Meatball Soup

This soup is fresh and comforting and in a way reminds me of an Asian version of Italian wedding soup. The recipe came about with looking at what I had in my fridge and was a smash hit. You can add any additional vegetables to want to the soup, honestly the more the merrier. I have ground beef in the recipe for the recipes but it would be even better if you added some ground pork to it as well!

Ingredients:

5 cups beef stock

4 garlic cloves

1 star anise

1 lemon grass stalks

Asian meatballs

3/4 pound ground beef

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 finely chopped shallots

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 TSP Thai chili flakes

2 eggs

3 TS hoisin

1 tsp Thai chili flakes

1 TS fish sauce

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (or cooked bulgur)

1/2 head Napa cabbage roughly chopped

3 cups thinly slice shiitake or oyster mushrooms

*Thinly sliced white onion and fresh cilantro for garnish

Start by sautéing garlic and shallots in olive oil, set aside.

Return to pot and add a little more olive oil, more chopped garlic, and chopped lemon grass to the soup pot, after several minutes add the star anise and beef broth. Cover and allow to simmer for about 30-45 mins.

While the broth is simmering start the meat balls. Take the shallots and garlic that were previously sautéed and place in a medium bowl along with all the other meat ball ingredients. Mix well. Using a tablespoon or a melon baller make mini meat balls and set them aside.

Return to the simmering broth and strain the anise, garlic, and lemon grass. Bring the broth back to a simmer and drop the meat balls and sliced mushrooms into the broth reduce heat and simmer until meatballs are almost cooked through. This should take about ten to twelve minutes, add Napa cabbage and cook until wilted.

Taste the soup and add salt if desired. Get a bowl ready and garnish with herbs and white onions! Enjoy with chili oil to spice things up.