Vietnamese Meatball Soup

Filled with immune supportive spices and nutritious vegetables, this soup recipe is one to have on repeat throughout your pregnancy. During pregnancy your immune system is weakened, making you more susceptible to the common cold and flu. Therefore, you may wish to add this nourishing and easy-to-make soup to your weekly meal plan. Not only to boost your immunity but also to deliver an abundance of essential pregnancy nutrients to you and your baby. 

| Serves 4 |

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp ginger root, finely grated

3 cloves garlic, finely grated or crushed

750 ml chicken stock or bone broth (3 cups)

400 ml canned coconut milk

1 tbsp ground turmeric (or fresh turmeric)

2 tbsp fish sauce

½ tbsp coconut sugar or rapadura

4 kaffir lime leaves, vein removed and thinly sliced

6-8 spring onions, white part sliced

Vegetables of choice to add to soup (Diced very small is best so they cook quickly. You could add broccoli, carrot, zucchini, snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, and a handful of kale or baby spinach added right at the end).

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¼ bunch fresh coriander leaves, to serve

Freshly squeezed lime juice to serve

Meatballs

1 cm ginger root, finely grated

2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely grated

500 g organic chicken mince

1 tbsp coconut flour

1 tsp sea salt

ground black pepper, to taste

1 lime, zest only (add juice to soup to finish)

Method

In a large pot, heat the coconut oil. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute until the garlic just starts softening.

Now add the chicken broth, coconut milk, turmeric, fish sauce, coconut sugar, kaffir lime leaves and spring onion and bring to a rolling simmer.

Whilst that's heating, make your meatballs by putting the ginger, coriander, grated carrot, chicken mince, coconut flour, sea salt, black pepper, lime zest, into a large bowl. Mix together until well combined and form into golf-sized balls.

When the soup comes to a rolling simmer, add the meatballs and allow to cook for 5 minutes or so until cooked through (the larger the meatballs the longer they will need).

If you are adding vegetables, carefully remove the meatballs and divide between the serving bowls and add the vegetables to the soup to blanch them for a couple of minutes (take care not to over cook them). Divide the vegetables between the bowls.

Lastly, add the lime juice to the soup, taste and add more seasoning if needed (salt and black pepper). 

Divide the soup between the bowls, garnish with the coriander.

Thermomix

Start with the meatballs. If you are going to make your own chicken mince, do this first and set aside.

Chop the ginger and coriander, 5 seconds, speed 8. Add the carrot 10 seconds, speed 8.

Add the chicken mince, coconut flour, sea salt, black pepper, lime zest, mix 30 seconds, reverse speed 2 (you may need to scrape the sides during the mixing). Make sure it is well combined and form into golf sized balls. Set aside.

Now start the soup. Mince the ginger and garlic, 5 seconds, speed 8.

At this point I transfer it to a pot as the blades will break up the meatballs when cooking them. Continue from step 4 in the method above.

Make-ahead

Re-heat in a pot over a low heat until just hot.

Seafood-free

Replace the fish sauce with a teaspoon of sea salt.

Home made Chicken Bone Broth

Recipe here

Different meatball

You can also substitute the chicken for turkey.

Store

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Can also be frozen.

Add noodles

If you’re extra hungry (as may well be the case during pregnancy or while breastfeeding), cook up brown rice noodles, strain and divide between bowls. Then just add the soup to it when ready (it heats the noodles). 

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This amazingly delicious and nourishing soup recipe was created by the talented Naturopath Georgia Harding of Well Nourished.