MAKES: 5 quarts (2 cups per serving) · PREP TIME: 30 minutes · COOK TIME: 40 minutes
This wonton-less soup will leave you wondering why you ever needed the wonton wrappers in the first place. Making low-carb Chinese food recipes can be a little tricky. Many traditional Asian-inspired dishes contain sugar, gluten, and other ingredients that I try to avoid. But with a little creativity and a willingness to cook your own food, you can have a delicious low-carb version that tastes just as good as takeout, if not better.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE MEATBALLS:
• 1½ pounds ground pork
• 3 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 large egg
FOR THE BROTH:
• 2 quarts chicken stock or bone broth (here)
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (14-ounce) bag coleslaw mix, or 1 small head green cabbage (about 1 pound), shredded
• 5 large cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced on a bias, for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Make the meatballs: Put the ground pork, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, the oyster sauce, fish sauce, green onions, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and egg in a large mixing bowl. Mix until the ingredients are well incorporated. Form the mixture into bite-sized meatballs. You should have about 40 meatballs.
2. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs to the pot and cook until they are browned all over and cooked through. If they start to stick, splash a little chicken stock into the pot. Remove the meatballs from the pot and set aside.
3. Make the broth: In the same pot, bring the chicken stock, water, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper flakes to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the meatballs, coleslaw mix, and mushrooms to the broth. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cabbage and mushrooms are tender.
5. Garnish with the green onions before serving, if desired.
tip: This soup is amazing served with a soft-boiled egg.
PER SERVING:
CALORIES: 260
FAT: 16g
PROTEIN: 21g
TOTAL CARBS: 6.4g
FIBER: 1.1g
NET CARBS: 5.3g