Pork Ball Soup

Pork ball soup provides a light main course or a starter for a heavier meal. The delicately spiced pork complements the simple ingredients in this Chinese dish. Use unseasoned ground pork for the balls. You can prepare the pork balls ahead of time, and freeze or refrigerate them until you are ready to make the soup. If you freeze the pork balls, defrost them overnight in the refrigerator the evening before you plan to prepare the soup. Does this Spark an idea?

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Bowls
1 ounce cellophane noodles
1/4 pound ground pork
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups watercress
Pot

Instructions

- 1
  
  Submerge the cellophane noodles in a bowl of warm tap water for 20 minutes or until they are soft. The noodles can soak while you prepare the rest of the soup.
- 2
  
  Combine the ground pork, minced ginger, cornstarch, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Beat the egg in a separate bowl, then mix it in with the pork mixture.
- 3
  
  Roll the pork into 16 small balls. The finished balls have a diameter between 1/2 and 3/4 inch.
- 4
  
  Pour the chicken stock into a pot. Bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat.
- 5
  
  Arrange the pork balls in the broth in a single layer. Simmer the pork balls for 6 to 10 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and no longer pink. Undercooked pork isn't safe to eat.
- 6
  
  Wash and remove the stems from the watercress as the pork balls cook. Add the watercress to the simmering broth once the pork is cooked through. Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and wait two minutes so the watercress can begin to wilt in the hot broth.
- 7
  
  Drain the noodles and add them to the soup. Serve the soup immediately.