Lotus Root Soup with Pork Meatballs
A brothy soup featuring crunchy lotus roots, with juicy pork meatballs and baby bok choy. The lotus roots are used two ways - directly in the soup and diced up for the meatballs.
Ingredients
- 16 oz poached lotus root in ¼" thick slices, see notes
- 6 oz baby bok choy leaves separated, cut into bite-sized pieces if desired
- vegetable oil for cooking (I use avocado oil)
For the meatballs:
- 16 oz ground pork I use 80% lean
- 4 green onions white and green portions sliced thin
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tbsp freshly minced garlic
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste or freshly minced ginger
- 3 tablespoon corn starch
For Soup Broth:
- 6 cups chicken stock or beef stock, dashi stock, or similar
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon MSG optional
Instructions
Prepare the meatballs:
- Take ¼ of the poached lotus root and finely dice it (this will be 4 oz of lotus root per batch).
- Set aside a small handful of the diced green onions to be used as a garnish for the soup. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the diced green onion, the finely diced lotus root, and all the ingredients listed in the meatballs section. Thoroughly mix everything together.
- Portion out and form the meatballs, using about 1.5 tablespoon for each one. I use a cookie scoop for this and place the meatballs on a piece of parchment paper. One batch makes about 20 meatballs.
Make the Soup:
- Slice the remaining lotus root slices in half to create semicircular pieces, and pat them dry if they're a little wet from the package.
- Set a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add a swirl of oil. Once hot, add the meatballs and cook, turning regularly, until they are browned on the outside, about 5 minutes. Remove the meatballs to a plate. Work in two batches as needed to avoid over crowding the pan, add more oil as needed.
- Once the meatballs are cooked and set aside, add the lotus roots to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly golden, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock to the pot and bring it to a simmer over high heat, reducing the heat once simmer. As the soup is coming to a simmer, add the rest of the ingredients in the Soup Broth section.
- Once the soup is simmering, add the meatballs back in and let them simmer until they are hot and fully cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the baby bok choy just before serving. I like to add mine when I remove the pot from the heat, but if you want them a little more cooked, you can let it simmer for 1-2 minutes before removing from heat.
- Ladle the soup into serving dishes and garnish with the reserved green onion. Serve immediately
Notes
Lotus root is available at most Asian grocery stores in the US. It can typically be found pre-sliced and poached in a 1 lb package in the refrigerated section. These packages are super convenient and I recommend using them! See the post section for more details.
If you're cooking with fresh lotus root, prepare it prior to following this recipe. Chop off the ends, then peel the lotus root and slice it into ~¼" thick slices. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. Boil the lotus root slices for about 5 minutes, then drain and set aside to use in the recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25 batchCalories: 475kcal
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