Ingredients
8 oz water chestnuts
1 lb finely ground lean pork
4 1/2 tsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 ground white pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 1/8 tsp cornstarch
1 salt to taste
Directions
Serve as the first course of a traditional Chinese dinner or alone as
a light nutritious supper.
MEATBALLS:
Finely chop 12 of the water chestnuts. Reserve the remaining ones for
garnish. Combine the pork, ginger, chopped water chestnuts, soy
sauce, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Mix well and form into balls 3/4
inch in diameter. These may be made in advance and frozen. Be sure
to thaw completely in refrigerator before poaching.
SOUP: 5 cups Vegetable Stock 5 cups Chicken stock Salt Freshly ground
black pepper 2 bunches watercress, chopped 3 green onions, finely
chopped Bring the vegetable stock and chicken stock to a simmer in a
large pot. Put a fourth of the meatballs in the broth and poach until
they rise to the top. Remove and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining
meatballs. About 20 minutes prior to serving, return stock to a boil
and add the meatballs. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes (Note: Meatballs
will be slightly pink in the center even after the second cooking.)
Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Turn heat to medium low.
Add the watercress and green onions. Cook, uncovered, for a few
minutes until watercress is slightly wilted and bright green in
color. Add the remaining water chestnuts and cook for 1 minute so
that they remain crisp. Serve immediately.
From California Heritage.
Posted by Sylvia Mease. Courtesy of Fred Peters.
Servings: 6 servings
Chinese-Ginger-Meatball & Watercress Soup Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Chinese; Meat; Meatball; Soup
The History of Recipes
Recipes as an idea can be observed back into the far past, in truth as far into history as early Egypt, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that maybe, these, early recipes were just very simple pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for food preparation.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to historians are a few tablets in Sumerian which recount the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel `blissful`. As we move into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a man called Apicius created a few documents which described recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. In his scrolls, Apicius tells us how the roman meals were split into hors d`oeuvre, main meal and afters, something that is very familiar to us today. This early Roman chef recounts how the early Romans made use of many different aromatic flavors, including some familiar names such as bay, fennel and asafoetida. Moving our culinary historical trip onwards, we have two interesting recipe books which appeared in the fourteenth century - one book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. Although the titles sound familiar, these are unconnected to the curry that appears on menues today, but rather descriptions of the types of food prepared by the chefs of the upper classes of that time. In the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought us many new foods and herbs from Arab cuisine, including spices like coriander, parsley, and basil. The introduction of these new herbs and spices prompted an eruption in manuscripts on food, some of which are now in academic collections. When we get to the 1900s, cooking publications are increasing in popularity mostly as a result of higher levels of literacy, people having increased spare time and having more money. |
We hope you enjoy this Chinese Ginger Meatball & Watercress Soup recipe.
