With the extremely cold weather here in Minnesota, my body does not want anything else other than soups! While making this soup, the Glutinous Balls and vegetables, I try to keep it simple and healthy, and It was delicious! The Glutinous balls are smooth and chewy, and complimented so well with the vegetables and the coconut milk.
For this soup, I used chicken broth but you can use any broth you like.
Again, it was simple because it took me 30 minutes to make it. This time, the glutinous rice balls were plain. I think that if I were to make it again, I would definitely stuff them with a filling, that way it would add depth to the flavor.
This is one of the reasons I enjoy cooking is I’m always learning and discovering new ideas and flavors!
Savory Glutinous Rice balls and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
½ Large yellow onion, finely diced
2 Gloves garlic, finely diced
1 Shallot, finely diced
2 Tbsp Ginger, minced
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
2 Small packs mushrooms, sliced (I used 1 pack baby portabella and 1 pack button mushroom)
1 Pack Store bought Chicken Stock, or Vegetable Stock
1 Whole lemon grass, cut to 2 inches long, bruised
2 pieces Galangal, thick cut
¼ cup Coconut Cream, for creamier texture (optional)
10-15 thumb sized Glutinous balls, pre-made Recipe below
3-4 Taro, peeled, bite size cubes
3 Whole Kale leaves, stem removed and leaves chopped
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Procedures
1. In a pot, sweat onion, garlic, shallot, and ginger in oil for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
2. Add the chicken stock, lemon grass, and galangal. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Add the coconut cream/milk and glutinous rice balls, and taro root then cook for 10 minutes or until taro has softened when inserted with a paring knife or a fork. Add seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Add the chopped kales at the final step and when the leaves are just cooked, about 2-3 minutes. turn off heat. Remove lemon grass, and galangal pieces before serving.
Glutinous Rice Balls
1. The ratio: 2 cups Glutinous Rice Flour, 1 cup warm water (110 deg. F).
2. Place Rice flour in a small bowl. Add in water and use your hand to mix it to form a pliable dough. Not too wet and not to hard. Form into thumb-sized ball. Cook in boiling water until the balls float to the top.
