Lion's Head Meatballs
This Yangzhou-style Lion's Head meatball recipe, taught by a classmate of Liang Shiqiu, uses a meat mixture that is mostly coarsely chopped with minimal mincing. The shaped meatballs are coated in a starch slurry on the exterior, deep-fried, then steamed.
Ingredients
tender pork (70% lean, 30% fat, cut into small dice and lightly chopped, no sinews)
one large piece
starch slurry (apply to palms after mixing)
to taste
winter bamboo shoots (cut into rolling chunks for the base)
to taste
yellow heart cabbage (cut crosswise into thick rounds for the base (optional))
to taste
Instructions
1
Step 1
Select ingredients carefully: choose one large piece of tender pork, 70% lean and 30% fat, making sure there are no sinews. When cutting, do not slice at an angle, and do not chop into a fine paste. The secret is "cut more, chop less": slice the meat into small dice with the knife, as fine as possible, then lightly chop.
2
Step 2
Mix the starch slurry and spread it on both palms, then pinch and roll the ground pork into four meatballs, so the outside is naturally coated with a layer of starch while the inside is not. Slightly flatten the meatballs and deep-fry until the surface is taut and lightly golden.
3
Step 3
First, place a layer of rolling-cut winter bamboo shoots at the bottom of the bowl (or use several thick rounds of crosswise-cut yellow heart cabbage as a base), then gently place the fried meatballs in the bowl and steam over high heat for at least one hour. After lifting the lid, use a large spoon to skim off the oil floating on the surface, so that not a single drop of oil remains in the bowl.
