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Easy Breezy Asian Pork Meatballs Noodle Soup – A comforting bowl of noodle served with bouncy meatballs and goji berry soup. Perfect easy everyday recipe and can be made ahead too.
Easy Breezy Asian Pork Meatballs Noodle Soup
These Asian-style Pork meatballs were something my mom made often when we were kids. She likes to serve them in a noodle soup like this.
My love for noodles definitely comes from my mom. My dad loved his rice. We have this term “rice bucket” in Chinese and he was definitely one ha..ha.. And now my daughter probably inherited this noodle craze from me 🙂 It doesn’t matter whether it rains, shines, or snows…I can eat noodle any time of the day, any day of the week. It’s not unusual for us to have noodle soup or stir-fried noodles 3 meals a day (yes, that includes breakfast) in Asia.
Goji berries are commonly used in Chinese cooking, especially in soup. If you have never tried goji berries in a soup, you should. I love it. My 2-year old son obsessed with goji berries in soup. Try not to overcook them though, because if you do, you won’t taste the sweetness anymore. I love how they puff up in the soup. Sweet and soft. I usually pop them into the soup at the very end of cooking, as the hot soup will continue to soften the berries.
CAN I CUSTOMIZE THE RECIPE?
This is one of the noodles that can be “dressed” up or down as you wish. Sub the meatballs with shrimp or leftover chicken meat (shredded). Really…highly flexible. You can use other vegetables like sugar snap peas, yu choy, or even something like kimchi. They can be made spicy or not. I like to drizzle chili oil for that extra kick.
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Easy Breezy Asian Pork Meatballs Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb angel hair/spaghetti/ramen or Asian wheat noodles/udon noodles
- 4-5 stalks of baby bok choy
- ¼ cup goji berries washed and drained
Pork meatballs:
- 1 lb ground pork (preferably with some fat)
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Soup base
- 6 cups chicken broth homemade or store-bought
- 2 inch piece of ginger bruised with heavy object
- Small pinch of sugar
- Salt to taste
Garnishes:
- 1 stalk green onion finely chopped
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Red chili oil optional
- Fried shallots crisp optional
Chili sauce (optional)
- 4-5 Thai bird's eye chili finely chopped
- Soy sauce
Instructions
- Cook the noodles to al dente and then rinse with some cold water and set aside
- Blanch the baby bok choy in a boiling water for about 5 minutes and then refreshed with some cold water and set aside
- Place all the ingredients for meat balls in a large mixing bowl. Stir to mix everything. Gather the meat paste and then "throw" it at the side of the bowl. Repeat this for about 10-15 times. Cover and pop them into the refrigerator while you are preparing the soup base
- Place chicken broth and ginger in a medium to large pot. Bring to a boil and then let it gently simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the salt, and sugar. Have a taste, it should be savory with some tangy taste. Add the meatballs and boil until the meatballs float to the top. Add the goji berries and let them cook for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat
Assembling the noodle bowl:
- Portion out the noodles into individual serving bowl. Portion out the meatballs and sprinkle of green onions, cilantro leaves. Generously ladle the soup with some of the goji berries over the noodles. Drizzle with some chili oil if using. Serve with some chili sauce on the side if you make some. Tuck in and enjoy! You can even serve with some black vinegar on the side if you like and extra tangy
Marv's Recipe Notes
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7 comments
Tried this today & it was great! I didn’t have bok choy but had 1 tiny bunch of baby bok choy so I also threw in broccoli. Added a dash of onion powder and garlic powder and white pepper to the minced meat as well. Oh I also added some sliced rehydrated shiitake mushrooms as I didn’t have goji on hand. Added in some of the mushroom water into the soup as well. This recipe is Delicious! Thank you!
Your noodle soup looks delicious. I also have a noodle addiction. I even eat noodles much more frequently than rice. Using goji berries in savory dishes is not very strange to me, since in Vietnam we sometimes braise meat in Chinese herbal medicine including goji berries. However, I’ve never tried adding them to noodle soup. I will keep that in mind next time I cook noodles.
Hi Sophie, Thank you and I’m glad I found another noodle addict 🙂 Yes, goji berries in savory dishes are pretty common in Asia. My mom often added goji berries in many soup dishes, including noodle soup and that’s where I got the idea 🙂
Do you have an idea on how long it takes to cook the meatballs in the broth? Just ball park figure.
Hi Kristin, Sorry for leaving that information out. I’ve added it in the recipe. I would say between 5 to 10 minutes. I hope that helps!
Wow! Being a noodles freak myself I can totally understand your love for noodles! How can someone not love noodles! And if it looks as gorgeous as yours, then I can have it 6 times a day! No joke!
ha..ha…seriously…I think I can eat noodles 6x a day too if calories don’t count 🙂