Poached pork meatball soup

Name: Poached pork meatball soup
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 500 g Minced pork, about 30% fat and 70% lean; 6 g Salt for the meat mixture; 1 g Pepper for the meat mixture; 1 tsp (5 ml) Sichuan peppercorns for infusion; 2 tbsp (15 ml) Chopped scallion for infusion; 3 slices Thin ginger slices for infusion; 120 ml Hot drinking water for aromatic infusion; 1 pc Egg white; 40 g Potato starch; A little Cooked soybean oil, cooled; A little Soaked and fully cooked wood-ear mushrooms; A little Dried daylily buds, soaked and fully cooked as labeled; As desired Vermicelli cooked as labeled; A little Scallion; Season lightly Soup salt; A little Chicken seasoning; A little Soup pepper; 3 drops Sesame oil; 1 small sprig Coriander; Enough to cover Meatball cooking water

A meatball soup standardized around 500 g pork, with accompaniments cooked first and doneness checked beyond floating.

~1 hrestimated time2servings5clear steps

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Ingredients

For 2 servings

500 g Minced pork, about 30% fat and 70% lean
6 g Salt for the meat mixture
1 g Pepper for the meat mixture
1 tsp (5 ml) Sichuan peppercorns for infusion
2 tbsp (15 ml) Chopped scallion for infusion
3 slices Thin ginger slices for infusion
120 ml Hot drinking water for aromatic infusion
1 pc Egg white
40 g Potato starch
A little Cooked soybean oil, cooled
A little Soaked and fully cooked wood-ear mushrooms
A little Dried daylily buds, soaked and fully cooked as labeled
As desired Vermicelli cooked as labeled
A little Scallion
Season lightly Soup salt
A little Chicken seasoning
A little Soup pepper
3 drops Sesame oil
1 small sprig Coriander
Enough to cover Meatball cooking water

Kitchen tools

Knife, stable board, bowls and measuring tools · Saucepan with lid and slotted spoon · Food thermometer and tongs · Two forming spoons, strainer and soup bowls

Let’s make it.

Follow the food, not just the clock.

01
Prepare cooked accompaniments first
First make aromatic water: put the listed infusion peppercorns, scallion and ginger in a heatproof bowl, add the listed hot drinking water and press aromatics with a spoon, never hands in hot water. Set a 10 min steeping check, strain and cool. Weigh only 80 g cooled strained liquid per 500 g pork; top up a shortfall with drinking water and leave any excess unused. Add no salt. Separately soak and fully cook wood ear, dried daylily and vermicelli as labeled; do not line bowls with fresh daylily, raw wood ear or merely softened noodles. Wash and chop herbs.
Look for
Accompaniments are fully cooked, aromatic water strained, cooled and weighed, and cooked-food utensils clean.
Preparation ↗
02
Mix water and seasonings gradually
Mix pork with meat salt and pepper. Add aromatic water gradually, stirring one way until absorbed, then add egg white, starch and a little cooled cooked soybean oil in order. Mix until cohesive and never taste raw meat.
Look for
Meat mixture is cohesive and liquid absorbed.
Mixing & beating ↗
03
Gently poach meatballs
Bring enough water to a boil, then reduce to gentle bubbling. Use two spoons to form similar-size meatballs and lower them gently without crowding, checking each batch separately.
Look for
Meatballs hold their shape in gently bubbling water.
Boiling ↗
04
Check the center after floating
Start a 1 min first check only after all meatballs in this batch float. Probe the largest center for at least 71°C and continue gently cooking if needed; floating and one minute are not proof.
Look for
Largest meatball centers reach at least 71°C and hold their shape.
Heat control ↗
05
Finish the soup
Add the cooked accompaniments to the cooked-meatball broth and heat through, then season lightly with soup salt, chicken seasoning and pepper. Ladle into bowls, add sesame oil and herbs and serve promptly.
Look for
Intact cooked meatballs with cooked wood ear, daylily and vermicelli in clear broth with herbs.
Seasoning ↗

Recipe sources & image information

Adapted from HowToCook / 生汆丸子汤 · HowToCook contributors / Anduin2017/HowToCook · Unlicense

Bilingual editorial adaptation. Independently content-reviewed; not kitchen-tested. Project-generated images illustrate this recipe and its steps, rather than a user’s cooking result. Timing is an estimate; check actual ingredients, labels and doneness.