Gingery Watercress Soup with Chicken Meatballs (and Rice Noodles)
Watercress soup is a humble Cantonese dish that I grew up on. My family typically makes it with pork ribs and it was often the first coarse at my Pau Pau’s house before diving into the more exciting dishes on the dinner table. I had forgotten about the slightly peppery, extra nourishing warm broth until I saw beautiful bundles of them at Berkeley Bowl a few months back. I love eating watercress raw too, it’s a delicate green that’s a cross between spinach and arugula. I even recently started growing it in my garden and have just enough watercress to make about two pots of soup!
For one of those pots of soup, I made my own version of watercress soup with lots of ginger and fluffy chicken meatballs loaded with green onions. This soup can be served as a side or first course, but you can also serve it with some steamed rice or bouncy rice noodles for a more complete meal. I opted for the rice noodles because there’s something so delightful about a bowl of tangled noodles with floating little meatballs.
The gingery broth warms your soul and belly with a gentle heat and is complimented by the delicate pepperiness of the watercress. Both of these ingredients coincidentally boost your immune system too! This soup just makes you feel good and tastes exceptionally good too!
Gingery Watercress Soup with Chicken Meatballs (and Rice Noodles)
serves 4
Broth:
10 cups water
1 tbsp chicken bouillon
3” piece of ginger, sliced into thick rounds
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tsp coarse salt
Meatballs:
1lb ground chicken
4 green onions, white and greens thinly sliced
1 large egg
1 tbsp sriracha
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
4 cups or 2 big handfuls watercress
In a large pot, bring water, chicken bouillon, ginger, garlic, and salt to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce the temperature to maintain a simmer. Cover and simmer until the broth is aromatic with a gentle heat from the ginger, about 30 minutes. Discard the ginger.
In a large bowl, mix to combine chicken, green onions, egg, sriracha, soy sauce, salt, and white pepper with a flexible spatula. Scoop about 1 tbsp of the chicken mixture and roll into a small ball. Place meatballs on a line baking tray.
Increase the temperature of the burner to bring the broth to a boil. Transfer all the meatballs to the broth and give them a gentle stir to help prevent them from sticking to the bottom. Continue to boil until the chicken meatballs start to float, about 5 minutes. Turn off the burner and add the watercress. Stir in the watercress and allow the heat of the soup to gently wilt the watercress. For a more intense watercress flavor, you can simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
Allow the soup to cool for a few minutes and then serve on its own or with rice noodles or a scoop of steamed rice.