Misua Soup with Meatballs

Misua Soup with Meatballs is a classic Filipino soup which consists of misua or Chinese vermicelli noodles made of wheat. Hefty pork or beef meatballs are added to the simmering clear broth of soup stock, flavored with garlic, onions, and patis (fish sauce). Slices of patola (sponge gourd) are added to the soup, and at the end of cooking a whole beaten egg is poured. Serve as a starter, a side, or a meal in itself. This was a recipe for The Quirino Kitchen by Elizabeth Ann Quirino.

Prep Time35

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Filipino

Keyword: Misua Soup with Meatballs

Servings: people

Calories: 21kcal

Equipment

Large stockpot or Dutch oven
soup ladle
chopping board
Mixing bowls

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground pork or ground beef
1 whole medium-sized white or yellow onion, chopped; Divided, half amount for meatballs, rest for broth
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup regular breadcrumbs, unflavored
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Misua Noodle Soup

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon patis (fish sauce), like Red Boat
10 cups soup stock
4 ounces dried misua noodles (or Chinese vermicelli noodles), about 2 cups when cooked
1 whole (250 to 400 g) patola (sponge gourd); about 1 cup when sliced or substitute with zucchini slices. Other alternatives are upo slices, and
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 whole egg, beaten

Instructions

To make the meatballs:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat, half of a chopped onion, soy sauce, 2 eggs, bread crumbs, flour, salt and black pepper powder.
Mix well. Shape into 1-inch sized meatballs. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to firm up.

To cook the Misua Soup:

In a large, heavy stock pot of Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the vegetable oil. When oil is hot enough in about 3 minutes, saute the garlic and rest of the onion. Cook for 2 minutes or till onions are transparent.
Add the patis and mix well into the sauteed ingredients.
Pour the soup stock into the mixture. Use homemade stock or store-bought canned soup stock.
TIP: I have a homemade recipe for Soup Stock here.
As the broth is simmering, drop the meatballs, one at a time, into the stock pot.
Cover the stock pot with its lid and continue cooking till meatballs are cooked, about 25 minutes.
When the meatballs are cooked, add the misua noodles. Stir to combine as the noodles start getting soft while it mixes with the soup stock.
It will take about 5 to 7 minutes for the misua noodles to soften and become like long, silky threads around the meatballs.
Peel the patola and slice into 1/8-inch thick circles.
Add the patola slices (or any of the substitutes like zucchini, upo, or sayote slices) to the simmering soup stock. The vegetables take about 7 minutes to soften and cook.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually, pour the beaten eggs to the soup stock, all at once, stirring the liquid with a long cooking spoon, for the eggs to distribute evenly and not clump together.
Season the soup with salt and black pepper.
Ladle soup with the meatballs, noodles and vegetables into individual bowls and serve while piping-hot.

Cook's comments:

The misua noodles expand and thicken when cooked. If reheating the soup, add more soup stock or water. When storing the leftovers in the refrigerator, the misua noodles tend to absorb all the liquid.
The patola (sponge gourd) is colored green and has a thick, ridged skin on the outside. When peeled and sliced, the insides are light green in color and smooth in texture. The patola is around 12 centimeters long, and large ones can grow up to 60 centimeters. They are seasonal and are not often found at the Asian markets year round. Thus, I substitute with either zucchini, sayote or upo (bottle gourd).
To store: Keep leftovers of misua soup with meatballs in covered containers, in the refrigerator. This keeps for about 4 to 5 days. If needed, pour more water (about 1/2 to 1 cup) and heat on the stovetop, in a medium-sized stockpot for about 10 minutes. You can also microwave a serving bowl of the Misua Noodles leftovers on High for about 2 minutes.
This Misua Soup does not keep well in the freezer, so it is not advisable to do so.

Nutrition