Fun Si Meatball Soup

Soups and Congees

Fun Si Meatball Soup
Ingredients:
2 ounces fun si, also known as cellophane noodles
1/2 pound ground pork or beef
1 Tablespoon minced scallions
2 slices gingerroot, minced fine
1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon corn starch
1 and a 1/2 cups soup stock
4 sprigs cilantro, also known as Chinese parsley, for garnish
Preparation:
1. Soak the fun si noodles in hot water for half hour then drain them and cut into desired lengths.
2. Mix ground meat and all other ingredients except the garnish and form meatballs about an inch in diameter.
3. Bring soup to the boil, add the noodles and bring it back to the boil then add the meatballs and boil once again for five minutes, then ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro and serve.
Note: Adaptations to this recipe can be found on page 106 of An Encyclopedia of Chinese Food and Cooking by Chang and Kutscher. Another adaptation is to mix one-quarter to one-half cup shredded preserved kohlrabi (tsa tsai) when the noodles are added. The best preserved kohlrabi comes from the Sichuan province. Be sure to rinse it in cold running water after shredding. And, if you see a can of preserved turnip, that is most likely kohlrabi, as most are erroneously labelled. Any remaining vegetable should be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator.

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