Meatball Soup with Japanese-style Noodles and Zucchini Bits

Meatball Soup with Japanese-Style Noodles and Zucchini Bits

A big favorite among my girls, a meatball soup. Usually, we use a Philippine noodle called miswa for our meatball soup. But this time, I used Tomoshiraga Somen, a Japanese-style noodle, and added some zucchini bits.

I remember the meatball soup being cooked by my mother, thus, this has become a comfort food.

Although a big fave by my family in Germany, I only cook this soup during the winter time. They said it tastes better, though they won't complain if they get this soup during summer.

I tried substituting the miswa noodles with other noodles but the best alternative seemed to be this Japanese-style noodle that I found in the Asia shop near our place. Miswa is a bit softer compared to Tomoshiraga Somen, which is deliciously firm when cooked right.





Now the zucchini bits is added because we could harvest them in our backyard garden, as a substitute to upo or bottle courd, which my mother normally cooks with our meatball soup.

Ingredients for Meatball Soup with Japanese-style Noodles and Zucchini Bits

500 grams minced meat
2 tbsp chives, chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup carrots, grated
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
150 grams Tomoshiraga Somen (Japanese-style noodles)
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
2-3 cups water
patis (fish sauce) to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
In a big bowl, mix minced meat, egg, chives, bread crumbs and grated carrots thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste then form into small balls.
Heat the oil in the pan, add the garlic then the onion before frying the meatballs.
After frying the meatballs, add water and bring to boil. Add the zucchini bits and some patis. Simmer for around 20 minutes. Add the carrots and the Tomoshiraga Somen. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if desired. Simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Serve hot.

Tomoshiraga Somen

I usually serve the meatball soup with a cup of rice, but sometimes my girls love it with freshly baked bread or even, pan de sal.

Other recipes, here.