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Put on Your Cake Pants

From the kitchen of a semi-vegetarian with a serious sweet tooth

Ginger Sesame Turkey Meatballs in Egg Flower Soup

ginger sesame meatballs in eggflower soup

I’ve never cared much for chicken noodle soup but can’t really explain why. I like chicken, I like noodles, I like chicken and rice soup just fine, but there’s something about chicken noodle soup that just doesn’t do it for me. This Chinese soup, however, I remember eating as a child and I’ve always loved it. It’s sometimes called egg flower soup, from the way the egg flowers throughout the soup as it cooks, and sometimes egg drop soup, from the way you drop the egg in just as the soup is nearly done. We didn’t have it very often when I was growing up, so I think I assumed it was rather involved to make, but when I first made it I was surprised to find that it’s really quite simple. Add some meatballs, some noodles*, and some veggies, and you’ve got yourself a full and tasty meal!

*Yes, I know, I’ve basically given you the recipe for an Asian version of chicken noodle soup (albeit using ground turkey) and am telling you how good it is. How ironic that I still don’t really care for the classic version, huh? Does anyone else feel this way?

Ginger Sesame Turkey Meatballs in Eggflower Soup
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Total Time
50 min
Total Time
50 min
Meatballs
  1. 1 pound ground turkey
  2. 1 egg, beaten
  3. 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  4. 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  5. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  6. 3 garlic cloves, minced
  7. 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
  8. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  9. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  10. 3 green onions, chopped 
finely
  11. 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped finely
Egg flower soup
  1. 5 cups chicken broth
  2. 1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
  3. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  5. 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  6. 2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
  7. 2 eggs, beaten 2 green onions, chopped finely
Add-ins
  1. 3 ounces dried udon noodles
  2. 1/2 pound snow peas, ends trimmed
Meatballs
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Beat egg in a separate, small bowl. Add beaten egg to turkey and mix. Add remaining meatball ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  3. Roll meatballs by hand into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. You can also use a small ice cream scooper to do this.
  4. Arrange meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, at least 1 inch apart from each other. Bake 20-25 minutes or until slightly browned.
Egg flower soup
  1. While the meatballs bake, combine chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  2. Whisk cornstarch and water. Add to soup and stir.
  3. Add beaten eggs to soup, slowly, while stirring. Once the egg “flowers” or “feathers” out, remove from heat and add green onions.
Add-ins
  1. Also while the meatballs bake, cook udon noodles according to directions on package.
  2. One and a half minutes before the end of cook time for noodles, add snow peas to boiling water. You can also steam the snow peas separately if you wish.
  3. Strain noodles and snow peas. Add to egg flower soup. Add meatballs to individual bowls before serving.
Notes
  1. Makes about 24 meatballs (serves 4-6).
  2. Meatball recipe adapted from Food Nouveau.
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Comments

  1. This sounds delicious. It fits perfectly with my “soup for dinner” phase. I am currently enamored of homemade soup at least once a week.

    Reply

      • We tried a cream of cauliflower soup from the newspaper food section. It doesn’t really taste of cauliflower – which is a plus in my book. With a little red pepper flakes, it has a hearty taste and some zip. We’ve also been enjoying a tofu/chard/noodle soup.

        Reply

    • Thanks!! Yes, I love egg flower soup, but it’s more of a side dish usually since there’s not much in it – I loved having it as part of the main course itself! I hope you enjoy it 🙂

      Reply

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