Thai style meatball-noodle broth

(pic by sarahlouisephotography.com)


This is a dish i did on the TV show called Market Kitchen last week (tis bit like Sat Kitchen but for uktv food channel). I believe it airs on the 6th May or something.

The recipe is easy, but cooking on TV... and remembering to point at everything and smile at the camera is harder than it looks (or, more likely, i'm just rubbish at it!).

The dish is a SEAsian style noodle soup with pork meatballs in, and the idea is to accompany it with a platter of loads of herbs, beansprouts, sliced chillies etc - so that, like at noodle street stalls, people can then help themselves and add whatever they fancy to their bowl.

Is a fun way of eating with few friends. Hope you like it.

So...

For the meatballs:

• pork mince - 300g (not too lean)


• 2 or 3 shallots (thai red ones ideally)


• 3 -4 fresh lime leaves - if you can find (buy frozen from thai store and keep in freezer - dried supermarket ones are waste of time)


• small piece of ginger


• 1 -2 cloves of garlic


• 1 bird eye chilli


• little coriadner stalk


• black pepper


• fish sauce

For the broth:

• chicken stock - about 1 litre


• 1-2 star anise


• A clove garlic


• a shallot or 2


• 2 dried shitake mushrooms if you have them


• pinch of white sugar & splash of fish sauce

The rest:

• Pre-soaked rice noodles - whichever type you fancy (prep according to packet)


• lime wedges

Then the add-your-own stuff like:

• a handful of beansprouts


• a couple of small lebanese style cucumbers sliced


• few spring onions sliced


• few long red chillies - finely sliced


• large piece of ginger cut to matchsticks


• herbs - coriander, mint, thai basil, dill, peashoots some


• bottle of fish sauce


• chilli sauce too, if you like

Method:

• get the broth simmering in a pan with ingredients in to infuse


• roughly chop then wizz up the meatball ingredients (except the mince) in small blender (or hand chop small)


• then mix it all well in a bowl with meat - seasoning with fish sauce and pepper.


• roll meat mix into small balls, and then fry in hot pan dash of sunflower oil until nicely browned and cooked through


• divide the noodles & meatballs between bowls and set the herbs and stuff all preped on a platter.


• check the seasoning of the broth - add fish sauce and sugar to taste and ladle over while hot


• let everyone garnish their own with the platter stuff and a lime wedge / add fish or chilli sauce etc


• slurp away.

Andy.