Lion’s head meatballs (healthy recipes)

Isn’t that name just something ? I got so intrigued when my mom told me about this Chinese dish few years ago. The Chinese often has unique way in naming the dishes. The shape of the meatballs resemble the head of the lion. There are lots of varieties out there for lion’s head meatballs recipes. You will see some were cooked with napa cabbage and braised in dark sauce, some are lighter in color, some made it spicy too. These meatballs are usually about 4-5-inch in diameter, but some people make them smaller. My mom made them smaller in size. Mine were slightly larger and I thickened the sauce simply because I think it looks better when you photograph it. Regardless, these meatballs are so tender when you bite into them. It’s one of my favorite for sure.

LION'S HEAD MEAT BALLS (About 9 large meat balls)

What you will need:

• 10 oz ground pork (preferrably with some fat in it)
• 1 stalk spring onion (finely chopped)
• ½ onion (peeled and finely chopped)
• 1 tsp ginger juice (use about 3-inch ginger piece and grate them and squeeze out the juice)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 Tbsp of cooking oil

Marinades:

• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp shaoxing wine/dry sherry
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp salt
• Dash of white pepper powder

Seasonings:

• 1½ cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• Pinch of sugar

Instructions:

1. Place the ground pork on a chopping board and if you have a cleaver, this is the best. Chop the ground pork back and forth for about 15 minutes. In a large bowl, mix the pork with spring onion, onion, ginger juice, egg, and marinating ingredients. Cover and set aside for about 15 minutes. Wet both of your hands with clean water and shape the meat mixture into balls (as big or as small as you want) and then lightly press with the palm of your hand to shape it into patties. Repeat until you are done with all the meat
2. Preheat oil in a medium-size skillet. Gently place the meat balls onto the pan and fry until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Place on absorbent paper towel
3. In a medium to large size pot, add in all the seasoning ingredients. Bring to a boil and add in the meat balls you've cooked from the step above and lower the heat to let it gently simmer for about 30 minutes. Have a taste and add more soy sauce and/or sugar if needed. If you want to thicken the sauce, you can remove the meatballs and then strain the cooking liquid and thickened with 1 Tbsp of corn starch + Tbsp of water. Transfer into a serving platter and serve immediately with rice