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Pork Ball, Noodle, and Watercress Soup

10
Total Time
43 min
Prep
17 min
Cook
26 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
This favorite Chinese soup can be served in smaller portions as an appetizer, or as one hearty main-dish bowlful to satisfy the hungriest.

Ingredients

uncooked ground pork

1 pound(s), (10% or less fat)

egg(s)

1 large, lightly beaten

ginger root

1 Tbsp, fresh, peeled and grated

cornstarch

2 tsp

garlic clove(s)

2 medium clove(s), minced

table salt

½ tsp

black pepper

¼ tsp, freshly ground

reduced-sodium chicken broth

6 cup(s)

low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp

packaged chow mein noodles

4 oz, or any Chinese noodle or thin spaghetti, broken in half

dried shiitake mushroom(s)

¼ pound(s), fresh, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced

uncooked scallion(s)

4 medium, thinly sliced (white and light green portions only)

dark sesame oil

1 tsp, Asian

Instructions

  1. Combine the pork, egg, ginger, cornstarch, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Shape mixture into 24 balls; set aside.
  2. Bring the broth and soy sauce to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add the noodles and mushrooms; return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Gently add the pork balls; return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the pork balls and noodles are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Gently stir in the watercress and simmer until just wilted, about 1 minute.
  3. Remove the soup from the heat, then stir in the scallions and oil. Yields 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Notes

Since it’s often cheaper to buy dried shiitake mushrooms in bulk than it is to buy them fresh—and dried mushrooms keep well for months—substitute 5 to 6 dried whole shiitake mushrooms for the fresh, if you like. Before using dried mushrooms, simply soak them in 1/2 cup boiling water for about 15 minutes; drain, then discard the tough stems.To save time, buy watercress in a 4-ounce bag, already trimmed and cleaned, from the produce section of your supermarket.

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