This meatball soup is cheap as chips to make. It is a basic tomato and vegetable soup paired with poached meatballs, cumin seeds and a tonne of coriander.
The meatballs in this contain rice, rather than breadcrumbs. You also cook them in the simmering soup rather than pan-frying, which makes them extra moist and wonderfully healthy.
Ingredients (SERVES 4)
Meatballs:400g lean pork mince
3 tablespoons long grain rice
1 egg
¼ cup fresh coriander, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Soup:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 sticks of celery, diced
1 good handful of chopped coriander stalks (or leaves)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon chilli powder
2x400g tin of tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
Method
1. Sauté the garlic, onion, carrot and celery in the vegetable oil until the onion becomes soft and translucent. Add the cumin seeds, chilli, coriander and salt, and sauté for a further two minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, the tomato paste and the chicken stock. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.2. Roll the mince mixture into small balls and place gently into the simmering soup and then cover. Leave the soup to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Check to see if the meatballs are cooked by cutting one in half. The centre should not be pink. If brown, sample to see if rice is cooked. If the rice is still crunchy, leave to simmer for another 5-10 minutes to finish it off until it is soft.
3. Serve with a wedge of lime or lemon squeeze over the meatballs with plenty more coriander and sour cream.