Food is one of those great magics with a soul that is tethered to geography. Sometimes this means that the ingredients and culture of a certain dish have originated and stayed in one place. Not so with this soup. The ingredients of Great Fresno Lake soup pull from both native Yokut and many other different culinary traditions which immigrants and migrants (Mexican, Chinese, Armenian) brought along with them. While you will never find this dish in a restaurant, it is a comforting Fall staple in Fresno.

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs:

2 lbs ground meat

 (eg. beef, pork, vegan)

½ cup uncooked long-grain rice

1 large egg

1 slice ginger (8 g minced)

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

2 tsp paprika

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbs kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

For The Soup:

2 Tbs olive oil/vegetable oil

½ onion, minced.

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 medium carrots, peeled & sliced 

½ head cabbage, cored & cut into slices or chunks

1 large GFL tuber peeled & cut into 1” cubes

6-8 cups of broth/stock/water

1/3 cup lemon juice (or from 1 lemon)

2 Tbs tomato paste

1-2 pack noodles (Hokkien or any thin egg-noodle)

1 Tbs rice wine

For Seasoning: 

Salt & pepper to taste

½ tsp ground cumin

1-2 tsp dried oregano or dried mint leaves

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp sumac (optional)

Toppings:

 chili oil

pine nuts

pomegranate seeds 

To Prepare the meatballs:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Gently mix with your hands until  well combined. Pinch off portions and gently roll between your palms to form golf-ball sized portions. Store on a sheet pan.

For the soup heat the oil, then fry the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and fry for a couple minutes (don’t burn). Add the celery, carrots, and GFL tuber and sweat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Immediately add the broth, then the lemon juice, spices, and cabbage, stir, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring to a simmer add meatballs (make sure they are submerged) and cook until rice cooks (about 40 minutes). Add toppings and enjoy!