Bayberry Meatballs
Ground lamb is rolled in sesame seeds and fried into bite-sized balls, then coated with a sweet-and-sour glaze, giving the finished dish the look of bayberries.
Ingredients
lamb (minced into a paste)
350 g
egg yolks
2
coffee powder
25 g
white sugar
100 g
roasted sesame (crushed)
25 g
water starch (starch slurry)
75 g
vinegar
50 g
soy sauce
to taste
MSG
to taste
Sichuan pepper water
to taste
chopped scallion
to taste
chopped ginger
to taste
vegetable oil
1000 g
boiling water
250 g
cooked oil
25 g
Instructions
1
Prepare the meat paste
Finely chop the lamb into a mince. In a mixing bowl, combine the lamb with 2 egg yolks, MSG, Sichuan pepper water, coffee powder, chopped scallion, chopped ginger, and water starch, stirring until evenly blended. Crush the roasted sesame and set aside.
2
Fry the meatballs
Pour about 1000 g of vegetable oil into a wok and heat over medium-high until the oil reaches about 170 °C (roughly 60% hot). Shape the seasoned meat mixture into bayberry-sized balls, roll each one in the crushed sesame, and carefully drop them into the hot oil one at a time. Gently stir with a fork to keep them from sticking together. Fry until the meatballs turn a reddish-brown color, then lift them out with a strainer and drain off the excess oil.
3
Make the glaze and finish the dish
Return the wok with the remaining oil to the heat and add chopped scallion and ginger until fragrant. Stir in the white sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and 250 g of boiling water. Thicken the sauce with water starch, then drizzle in 25 g of cooked oil to give it a glossy finish. Add the fried bayberry meatballs, toss gently so each one is evenly coated with the glaze, then transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately.
