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Opo Squash Soup with Meatballs

A delicious homestyle Vietanmese soup, Opo Squash with Meatballs
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: meatballs, opo, opo squash, soup, Vietnamese

Ingredients

  • 2 lb Opo squash (1 medium) Pick smaller squash which tend to have fewer seeds.

Meatballs

  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1/4 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder or Better than Boullion Chicken Base
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 stalk of chopped green onions

Soup Base:

  • 1/2 cup sliced white onions
  • 1/4 cup of cilantro
  • 6 cups chicken broth or water use low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder omit if using homemade chicken broth, if using commercial broth, reduce boullion to 1 tsp.
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce for soup or light soy
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • Peel the skin and slice squash into 3/8 inch circles, then cut each in half
  • Finely chop shrimp and combine with ground pork. Season mixture with white pepper, fish sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar and chopped green onions. Mix and set aside while you boil the stock.
  • In a med-large saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, chicken bouillon, and black pepper to season the soup.
  • Once your stock is boiling, use a spoon to form meatballs and drop them into the water. After about about 5 minutes, you’ll see them float to the top as they start to cook.
  • Add in the opo squash, half of cilantro and sliced white onions. Cook over medium heat until the squash is translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with reserved cilantro and serve.