Knitting In The North: Won-Ton-less

For our soup night last week, I tried a new recipe - Chinese Vegetable & Meatball. I'll admit I was a little worried that the kids would all rebel, as they're not usually into the won-ton soup idea when we order Chinese food, and this is basically won-ton soup without the rice paper. I was pleasantly surprised, though - not only did the kids all eat it, but Stuart had three (THREE!) helpings!

Here's the recipe, in case you want to try it for yourself:

Chinese Vegetable & Meatball Soup, from $3 Meals by Ellen Brown

Meatballs:

2 T soy sauce
2 T cornstarch
3 large egg whites
1 T Asian sesame oil (I used whatever I had on hand)
3 scallions, white parts & 3" of green rinsed, trimmed & chopped (I used green onions)
3 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
1 lb ground pork
1/2 cup finely chopped water chestnuts
salt & peper

Soup:

7 cups Chicken stock
6 scallions, white parts & 3" of green rinsed, trimmed & chopped (I used green onions)
2 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
1 T grated fresh ginger
2 T soy sauce
1 large carrot, peeled & julienned (I grated mine)
2 c chopped iceberg lettuce or Napa cabbage (I used bok choy)
1 c thinly sliced green beans (I omitted, and threw in the rest of the can of chopped water chestnuts)
salt & pepper

For meatballs, mix soy sauce with cornstarch. Combine egg whites, soy sauce mixture, sesame oil, scallions, cilantro, ginger & garlic in a mixing bowl, & whisk well. Add pork & water chestnuts, season to taste, & mix well into a paste. Chill for 30 minutes.
For soup, combine chicken stock, scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce & carrot in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer soup, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Using wet hands, form meatball mixture into 1-inch balls, and drop them into simmering soup. Cook for 7-10 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink. Add lettuce or cabbage & green beans, and simmer for 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper, and serve hot.

Note: The soup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance & refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat it, covered, over low heat, stirring frequently.