Name: Pork Meatballs and Napa Cabbage Soup
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 pound ground pork; 2 large eggs; 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine; 2 tablespoons light soy sauce; 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, plus 3 thin slices peeled fresh ginger; 1 teaspoon table salt, divided; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 2 ounces mung bean vermicelli; ½ head napa cabbage; 6 cups chicken broth; 1 scallion, sliced thin; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Why This Recipe Works

Inspired by the hearty cabbage soups common in Northern China, this soothing dish is exactly what you want on a cold winter night. The meatballs are made with ground pork flavored with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and ginger, and we add cornstarch to create a soft, tender texture. They gently poach in chicken broth with handfuls of napa cabbage, with the vegetable’s sturdier white parts going into the pot first. At the end of cooking, we stir in delicate mung bean vermicelli, which gives the soup a bit more heft.

Before You Begin

Fully cooked ground pork can retain a slightly pink hue. Mung bean vermicelli, also called glass noodles or cellophane noodles, are translucent strands made from mung bean starch. If they’re unavailable, rice vermicelli is a good substitute. Not to be confused with low-sodium soy sauce, light soy is the go-to soy sauce in Chinese cooking, but you can also substitute regular soy sauce in this recipe.

Instructions

Combine 1 pound ground pork, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons grated ginger, and ½ teaspoon table salt in medium bowl. Stir with spatula until liquid is fully incorporated into pork. Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch and stir until mixture becomes pasty and sticky; set aside to marinate.

Place 2 ounces mung bean vermicelli in second bowl and cover with warm water. Let soak until pliable, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Discard any outer leaves from ½ head napa cabbage that are bruised or torn. Peel remaining cabbage leaves away from core; discard core. Stack three similar-size leaves and, using sharp knife, cut away white portion from center. Keeping pieces stacked, cut cabbage whites into 1-inch pieces and cabbage greens into 2-inch pieces. Repeat with remaining leaves.

Bring 6 cups chicken broth, 3 thin slices peeled ginger, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to boil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add cabbage whites and cook, covered, until just starting to turn tender, about 3 minutes. Add cabbage greens and continue to cook until greens are wilted, about 2 minutes longer.

Push cabbage to one side of pot. Using spoon, scoop 1½-tablespoon portions of pork mixture and carefully add to soup. Repeat until all of pork mixture is used, then stir in drained vermicelli noodles.

Cover and simmer over medium heat until the meatballs are just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1 thinly sliced scallion and 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil. Serve.