Think spaghetti & meatballs, but with an Asian-inspired twist. Tasty beef meatballs immersed in a fragrant broth scented with aromatic lemongrass & ginger, along with a tangle of soba noodles & crisp snow peas…if that doesn’t scream winter comfort, I don’t know what does!
This recipes only takes 30 minutes from start to finish and is such a wonderful warming dish for the colder months.
For another cosy winter beef dish, try this Spiced Beef & Rice Pilaf
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Beef Meatball & Soba Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 l beef stock
- 1 l water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 stalk lemongrass bruised with back of knife*
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger sliced
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger peeled
- 4 spring onions white parts roughly chopped, green parts sliced and set aside
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- ¾ cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 500 g lean beef mince
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 270 g soba noodles
- 200 g sugar snap peas or snow peas, trimmed & halved
- toasted sesame seeds, to serve
- lemon wedges, to serve
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the stock, water, sugar, lemongrass & sliced ginger. Place on medium heat & let it simmer until needed later on in the recipe.
- In a food processor, combine the white parts of the spring onions, the other piece of peeled ginger, and the garlic. Pulse till finely chopped. Add the breadcrumbs, fish sauce and beef. Pulse until the mixture comes together (don’t over mix!).
- Form heaped-tablespoons of the mixture into meatballs by firmly rolling them between your palms. This mixture is very easy to roll and should yield about 20 or so meatballs.
- In a large pot over high heat, add the oil. When hot, add the meatballs and leave them to brown on one side undisturbed for 3 minutes. Carefully flip the meatballs over and brown on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the simmering stock to the pot with the meatballs through a sieve (to catch the ginger and lemongrass, which you can discard). Turn the heat down & let the meatballs simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Add the soba noodles, let them cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the sugar snap/snow peas, cook for 1 minute.
- Serve the soup in large bowls, with a generous squeeze of lemon juice and some sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
Notes
- To bruise the lemongrass, simply bash it with the back of a heavy knife on your cutting board all along the stalk. If you cannot find lemongrass, you may replace it with a few strips of lime peel instead.
Nutrition
*This recipe is proudly sponsored by Australian Beef
My name is Noha.
I’m passionate about food, an avid traveler, and I love to explore new cultures and cuisines whenever I get the chance by sharing my recipes and experiences with my readers.
A big fan of exploring different cuisines and always looking for new and exciting flavors to explore. I’m especially interested in healthy eating and finding ways to make delicious dishes without sacrificing nutrition.
