Ahhh. Soup. I seriously cannot live without it in the winter! (Did anyone enjoy this week's arctic blast here in NY?... didn't think so.) Chicken noodle soup is one of my favorite things to eat especially during these cold, dark winter days. I wanted to do something a little different and unexpected so I put a Chinese spin on this classic soup!
You know, growing up, soup was served almost every night along with dinner. Although, Chinese soups tend to be much more brothy and are eaten as health supplement rather than full-on meals so it never seems "heavy". After all, Chinese dinners are all about having a well-balanced diet, and soup completes a meal quite nicely.
This chicken meatball noodle soup with watercress has pretty much everything a healthy meal could offer. And why not get an upgrade from a traditional chicken noodle soup when you can have it all?! Watercress (西洋菜) is a very common ingredient in Chinese soups and it's got some really great health values (apparently it's really good for the flu or cough!). Besides soups though, I really haven't cooked anything else with watercress before. Do you like watercress? What are some of the things that you like to make with it?
To make this soup, you'll learn how to roll/form meatballs with spoons. And trust me, it's not rocket science, just needs a bit of patience and time! Is it technical? Naaah. You've got this - it's actually quite fun! And just to add some more texture, I added egg-drop-soup-style eggs! Now, here's to a complete meal - cheers! (or should I say.. Slurp!)
Chicken Meatball Noodle Soup with Watercress
Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 4
You'll need:
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 1-2 cups chopped watercress
- 2 cups wide egg noodles
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp salt
- Meatballs:
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, grated
- 1/2 cup chopped watercress
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Approach:
- Rinse and drain watercress thoroughly. Chop it by hand or use a food processor.
- Bring the chicken broth and water in a stock pot until it starts to boil, then turn the heat to low.
- In a bowl, mix the first seven meatball ingredients together. Add chicken then breadcrumbs.
- Once the chicken broth is ready, use 2 small tea spoons to form meatballs by first scooping a small lump of the meat with 1 spoon, then passing it back and forth between spoons a few times. Try to make them as round as possible but doesn't need to be perfect. Carefully drop each one into the stock pot until all the meatballs are in. (Meatballs will sink to bottom at first but will raise as they're done being cooked, and will float up top.)
- Add the other chopped watercress and salt, and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.
- Beat the 2 eggs, then stream them into the soup slowly while stirring with a ladle.
- Add the egg noodles last, about 10 minutes before serving, to make sure they don't get overcooked.
- Top with oyster or saltine crackers (optional).