Growing Up in Nonya kitchen

This is truly my favourite meatball soup. Children love it too. It is important to prepare your
stock well to obtain a rich, wholesome flavour.

1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 egg

1 bunch spring onions (scallions),
discard white portion, chopped finely

1. Combine the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix
well into a paste. Leave to season for at least an hour.

2. Rinse the pork bones. Bring the pork bones and 5 of the
10 cups of cold water to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer
for an hour. Keep pot partially covered and skim the
surface of the stock from time to time.

3. Rinse the reserved prawn shells and drain. Heat a pot
and pour in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Fry the shells until
they turn orange and fragrant. Add the remaining 5 cups
of water. Boil and then simmer for at least half an hour,
skimming off froth and gristle from the surface. Strain and
reserve the prawn stock.

4. Place the bamboo shoots in a small pot of cold water
and bring to a boil for about 20 minutes. Discard water and
leave to cool. Then julienne finely into thin strips.

5. Heat a deep pot over medium heat and pour in the
remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is glistening,
add the minced garlic, making sure not to burn the garlic.
Fry the minced garlic until light golden brown. Add half of
the browned garlic to the meatball paste and reserve the
other half for the soup stock.

6. With the remaining garlic in the pot, add the sugar
and stir. Toss in the sliced bamboo shoots and pour in the
prawn stock and pork stock. Turn up the heat and bring
the soup to a boil.

7. Using your hands, roll the meatball paste to form balls
about 3 cm or 1½ inches in diameter. (To ensure that your
meatballs are all even in size, you may choose to roll out
the meatballs first and place them on a tray. You can then
pinch and add to adjust the size of each meatball. Do this
early instead of doing them on the spot and tossing into
the soup.)

8. Toss the meatballs into the soup. Add a few more cups
of water if necessary to cover the meatballs. Lower the
heat and bring the soup to a simmer. The soup is cooked
when the meatballs rise to the surface. Add salt to taste.

9. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve in
individual soup bowls or a large serving bowl.