Lion's Head Meatballs

Lion's Head Meatballs

from thewoksoflife.com
Pork
80 min
8 servings
238 kcal / serving

Lion's Head Meatballs is a classic Chinese celebration dish. Our recipe is succulent and flavorful, braised in a rich sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 poundfatty ground pork ((450g))
  • 1slice ginger ((8g, minced))
  • 1scallion ((minced))
  • 1 largeegg
  • 3 tablespoonsplain breadcrumbs ((25g))
  • 1 tablespoonshaoxing wine
  • 1 tablespoonlight soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoonoyster sauce
  • ½ teaspoonwhite pepper
  • ¼ teaspoonfive spice powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoonscornstarch
  • ¼ cupwater
  • 3 ½ ounceswater chestnuts ((100g, canned))
  • vegetable oil ((to fry the meatballs))
  • 1 tablespoonvegetable oil
  • 2slices ginger
  • 2scallions ((cut into 2-inch lengths, white and green parts separated))
  • 10 grock sugar ((or 2.5 packed teaspoons brown sugar))
  • 1 tablespoonshaoxing wine
  • 1 ½ tablespoonslight soy sauce
  • ¼ teaspoondark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoonoyster sauce
  • 1 ½ cupswater
  • 1 teaspooncornstarch ((mixed into a slurry with 1 tablespoon water))
  • ¼ teaspoonsesame oil
  • baby bok choy ((for serving, optional))

Directions

Make the meatballs:

  1. 1

    Make sure to find fatty ground pork. You can choose a fatty piece of pork shoulder and have the butcher grind it, or use our hand-chopping method to grind your own. A 70/30 meat to fat ratio is best, but 80/20 is also acceptable. Transfer the ground pork to a large mixing bowl.

  2. 2

    Add the minced ginger and scallions, egg, breadcrumbs, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, five spice powder, cornstarch, and water.

  3. 3

    Whip everything in one direction for about 10 minutes, until the meat mixture resembles a paste.  This step is very important to making sure the meatballs have the right texture and don’t fall apart during frying.

  4. 4

    Smash the water chestnuts with the side of your cleaver or knife and finely mince them. Add to the meat mixture and continue to mix everything together for 5 more minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape everything together.

  5. 5

    Heat enough oil to submerge the meatballs in a small, deep pot (a small pot requires less oil) to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C. Just be sure there’s enough oil to cook the meatballs evenly, but that the oil will not overflow during frying.

  6. 6

    With oiled hands, divide the meat mixture into 8 to 9 equal portions and shape each into a ball. Carefully lower the meatballs one at a time into the heated oil, and fry in batches (2 minutes per batch) until they’re evenly golden brown. Remove the par-cooked meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Make the sauce & braise:

  1. 1

    Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over low heat. Add the ginger and white parts of the scallions, and cook for 1 minute. Then add the sugar and cook until dissolved.

  2. 2

    Add 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 ½ tablespoons light soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and 1 ½ cup water. Stir and bring the liquid to a boil.

  3. 3

    Once boiling, add the fried meatballs. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes over medium/low heat, flipping the meatballs halfway through.

  4. 4

    After simmering, there should be about ¾ cup liquid left. Remove the meatballs from the liquid and arrange on your serving plate. (I served these with blanched baby bok choy. Just add a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil to boiling water for that “shiny” look, and blanch for 30 seconds).

  5. 5

    Mix your cornstarch slurry, and pour into the sauce to thicken. Once it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stir in ¼ teaspoon sesame oil and the green parts of the scallions. Once the scallions are wilted, drizzle the sauce over the meatballs.