Now, don’t ask me what almondigas means. I really do not know. My Spanish is really, really bad. I only learned basic Spanish because it was required in college.
I do know, however, that in Mexican cuisine, there is a dish called albondigas. It is quite probable that the Filipino almondigas is an adaptation of the Mexican albondigas.
This is an old recipe from my grandmother. My only contribution is to add grated carrots to the meatballs to add flavor and color.
Misua is the name for fine rice noodles used mostly for soup dishes because of its tendency to get soggy once it becomes wet.
- 1/2 kilo ground lean pork
- 1/2 piece of carrot grated
- 1 whole onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 whole egg lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cooking oil
- 5 cups bone broth
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 small onion sliced
- salt and pepper (if broth is unsalted)
- 2 bundles misua
- 3/4 cup finely sliced scallions
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Mix together all the ingredients for the meat balls, except the flour. Form into balls about 2 inches in diameter.
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Heat a wok or skillet. Pour in the cooking oil until it starts to smoke. Roll each meat ball in flour and fry in hot oil, rolling the balls around in oil to brown evenly. Once lightly browned, remove from the wok or skillet and drain on paper towels.
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Heat a large saucepan or casserole. Transfer 1 tbsp. of cooking oil from the skillet or wok.
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Saute the garlic and onion until the onion is soft.
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Pour in the broth. Bring to a boil.
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Add the meat balls. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Adjust seasonings, as needed. Turn off the heat.
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Add the misua and cover for another 5 minutes.
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Transfer to a soup tureen and top with sliced scallions. Serve hot.
