---
title: "Poached Meatball Soup (生汆丸子汤)"
description: "Poached Meatball Soup has a tender, springy, and silky texture, making it a home-style soup with a pure, original flavor. Pork provides high-quality protein, and when paired with ingredients like wood ear mushrooms and day lily flowers, the nutrition is fairly balanced. The preparation requires hand-mincing the meat and mastering the technique for squeezing out the meatballs, which has a slight learning curve and is better suited for cooking enthusiasts with some experience."
image: "https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/ai-generated/soup_sheng-cuan-wan-zi-tang.jpg"
url: "https://cookbook.cn-trending.com/r/soup_sheng-cuan-wan-zi-tang/"
---

# Poached Meatball Soup

**生汆丸子汤 · shēng cuān wán zi tāng**

> Time: 1 h · Difficulty: Hard · Calories: 857 kcal · Serves: 1 serving · Category: [Soups](https://cookbook.cn-trending.com/c/soup/) (汤羹)

Poached Meatball Soup has a tender, springy, and silky texture, making it a home-style soup with a pure, original flavor. Pork provides high-quality protein, and when paired with ingredients like wood ear mushrooms and day lily flowers, the nutrition is fairly balanced. The preparation requires hand-mincing the meat and mastering the technique for squeezing out the meatballs, which has a slight learning curve and is better suited for cooking enthusiasts with some experience.

![](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/ai-generated/soup_sheng-cuan-wan-zi-tang.jpg)

## Ingredients

- 500 g Pork front leg meat (猪前腿肉) — per serving
  - Tip: A 30% fat to 70% lean ratio is best.
- 6 g Salt (盐) — per serving
  - Tip: Adjust the amount proportionally based on the quantity of meat.
- 2 g Ground pepper (胡椒粉) — per serving
  - Tip: Used to remove fishiness and enhance aroma.
- 80 g Scallion-ginger-Sichuan pepper water (葱姜花椒水) — per serving
  - Tip: Must be soaked in advance to release flavor.
- 1 piece Egg white (鸡蛋清) — per serving
  - Tip: Increases the tenderness of the meatballs.
- 40 g Potato starch (土豆淀粉) — per serving
  - Tip: Has a springier texture than cornstarch.
- to taste Cooked soybean oil (熟豆油)
  - Tip: Keeps the meatballs tender and silky.
- to taste Wood ear mushrooms (木耳)
  - Tip: Soak and wash in advance.
- to taste Dried daylily flowers (黄花)
  - Tip: Dry day lily flowers need to be soaked in advance.
- 1 bunch Glass noodles (粉丝) — per serving
  - Tip: Soak in warm water in advance to soften.
- to taste Scallion (小香葱)
  - Tip: Chop finely and set aside.
- 3-5 drops Sesame oil (香油) — per serving
  - Tip: Adds aroma when served.

### Optional

- to taste Chicken (ground) (鸡粉)
  - Tip: Used to enhance umami flavor.
- 1 small piece Cilantro (香菜)
  - Tip: For garnish and added aroma.
- to taste Chili oil (辣椒油)
  - Tip: Add according to personal preference.

## Tools

Cleaver / chef's knife, Cutting board, Stockpot, Large bowl, Mixing bowl

## Method (4 steps)

1. **Hand-Mince the Meat** — Cut the pork shoulder into pieces (with a 30% fat to 70% lean ratio). First, use the spine of the knife to pound and loosen the meat fibers, then repeatedly mince it into ground meat.
   - Duration: 15 min
   - Tip: Machine-ground meat is too sticky; hand-minced meat has a better texture.
   - Tip: Pounding the meat with the spine of the knife makes the texture more tender and loose.
   ![Step 1: Hand-Mince the Meat](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/soup_sheng-cuan-wan-zi-tang/step_1.jpg)
2. **Season the Meat and Add Water** — Add salt and ground pepper to the ground meat and mix well. Gradually add the scallion-ginger-Sichuan pepper water, mixing in a clockwise direction as you add it so the meat absorbs the water fully. Add the egg white and mix well, then add the potato starch and mix again. Finally, add cooked soybean oil to lock in the moisture.
   - Duration: 10 min
   - Tip: Add 80g of scallion-ginger-Sichuan pepper water per 500g of ground meat.
   - Tip: Always stir in one direction.
   - Tip: Cooked soybean oil keeps the meatballs tender and springy.
   ![Step 2: Season the Meat and Add Water](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/soup_sheng-cuan-wan-zi-tang/step_2.jpg)
3. **Poach the Meatballs** — Bring a pot of water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to keep the water just below a rolling boil. Squeeze the meatballs from your hand into the pot. Once all the meatballs float to the surface, continue to poach on low heat for 1 minute.
   - Duration: 10 min
   - Tip: Do not use high heat, or the meatballs will fall apart.
   - Tip: When the meatballs float, they are basically cooked.
   ![Step 3: Poach the Meatballs](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/soup_sheng-cuan-wan-zi-tang/step_3.jpg)
4. **Assemble the Soup** — Place the soaked glass noodles at the bottom of a bowl. Add the wood ear mushrooms, day lily flowers, and scallion, and season with salt, ground pepper, and chicken bouillon powder. Pour the meatballs and their cooking broth into the bowl, drizzle with sesame oil, and garnish with cilantro.
   - Duration: 5 min
   - Tip: Pouring the hot broth into the bowl instantly releases the aroma of the ingredients.
   - Tip: Only 3-5 drops of sesame oil are needed.
   ![Step 4: Assemble the Soup](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/steps/soup_sheng-cuan-wan-zi-tang/step_4.jpg)

## Tips

- Chili oil can be added at the final step to taste.
- Mastering the technique for squeezing the meatballs is the key to success.
- If the texture is not tender enough, you can increase the mixing time for the meat.

## Overview image

![Poached Meatball Soup — ingredients and steps overview](https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend/dataset/images/overview/soup_sheng-cuan-wan-zi-tang_overview.jpg)

## Source

Recipe text from [HowToCook](https://github.com/Anduin2017/HowToCook), structured by [Vibe Cook](https://github.com/zkeq/vibe-cook-backend). Public domain (Unlicense).

Original: https://github.com/Anduin2017/HowToCook/blob/master/dishes/soup/生汆丸子汤.md

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- [Yellow catfish or sand goby and tofu soup](https://cookbook.cn-trending.com/r/soup_ang-ci-yu-dou-fu-tang/)
- [Tomato Beef Egg Drop Soup](https://cookbook.cn-trending.com/r/soup_fan-qie-niu-rou-dan-hua-tang/)
- [Pork Ribs and Bitter Melon Soup](https://cookbook.cn-trending.com/r/soup_pai-gu-ku-gua-tang/)

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