A BROTHY MEATBALL SOUP
the Autumn essentials: sticky rice, meatballs and a fragrant broth
Well we made it, it is officially Autumn, we have entered the land of grey, wet, cloudy skies, the occasional burst of sunshine, the deep internal conflict over how many layers is the correct amount of layers to leave the house, the high stakes decision of whether to bring an umbrella with you everywhere you go or risk getting drenched, we are in the bleak mid Autumn - and frankly, I love it.
I love the opportunity to hibernate more than usual, I am keeping to my promise of slowing down, of saying no more and only saying yes when my body says it with me. Given all this, I have been craving broth more than ever before, I spent most of Sunday poaching a chicken, stripping the carcass of it’s meat and boiling the bones down until I had the most delicious golden chicken broth to keep me going through the week. Then the following evening I realised I needed a brothy meatball soup in my life, and as luck would have it, I had a lot of Southeast Asian ingredients in my kitchen, half a bag of sticky rice, a few sticks of lemongrass, plentiful garlic & ginger, some coriander stalks - and so this soup was born.
It’s a relatively quick one to prepare, utilising a technique I deeply admire in SEA cuisine for making broth, which simply involves simmering a good stock and adding your aromatics directly to the pot, no frying or browning, just a hard simmer to release all of their magic. As with any meatball dish, this is a great one for batch cooking, meal prep and freezing. You can store all the elements separately and then bring together when you are in the mood, stocking up your fridge and freezer with a delicious dinner ready to go. It also happens to be a very affordable meal at £1.34 per portion, it’s healthy, got a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and fibre and is frankly one of the best bowls I’ve had in a while. That’s the end of my hard sell on this soup, but do I urge you to try it for yourself and tell me what you think.
I have another very exciting piece of news to share with you, on November 13th, myself, my good friend Kitty Tait and my boyfriend, shall be cooking a one off Autumn Supper Club at The Camberwell Arms. THC and I have cooked up a menu inspired by our travels in Puglia this summer, you can expect oregano & black olive focaccia, marinated aubergines, fava, cicoria, polpette and my famous tiramisu - it’s going to be a very special evening and I would love to see some of you there. All profits from the event will be donated to Kitty Tait’s charity, Breaducating Britain, a community project helping people of all ages learn to bake, build confidence, and connect through bread. Tickets are £55pp, for three generous courses, a welcome drink and a bread kit for you to take home.
You can book your seats here.
For this one we won’t be able to accommodate dietaries, so please have a close look at the menu before booking.
I hope you are all enjoying these slower days and taking time to sip broth at least once a day - I’m not even joking. One last thought from me, my boyfriend and I have started to rewatch the Hunger Games movies from start to finish, and I have to say, it’s the cosiest I have felt in a while. If you have a film series that you adore, take this moment to settle yourself on the sofa and watch it start to finish, preferably with a bowl of this meatball soup.
Sending love, Rosie x
A BROTHY MEATBALL SOUP
This soup is heavily inspired by Thai flavours, using sticky rice, lemongrass, lime leaf, fish sauce and plenty of soy. You can easily substitute the rice for any kind you have on hand and if you can’t find fresh lemongrass, a paste will do just fine. Chicken stock from a cube will also be more than ok if you don’t have any fresh to hand, if you do have the time and the energy though, I highly recommend making your own for a smug and virtuous start to the week. If you make the whole batch and don’t want to eat it all at once, the broth and meatballs can be frozen separately. Leftover rice can be stored in the fridge, but I would say it’s best to make a fresh batch of rice when each time you eat this soup and save your leftovers for fried rice.
