Northeast Stew with Meatballs
A comforting Northeast Chinese-style stew featuring fried meatballs, napa cabbage, baby cabbage, and glass noodles, slow-simmered in a clay pot.
Story
This hearty dish layers vegetables and meatballs in a sand pot for a slow simmer, typical of Northeast Chinese home cooking.
Ingredients
Small fried meatballs
as needed
Sichuan peppercorns
a small handful
Napa cabbage
as needed
Green onion
as needed
Ginger
as needed
Garlic
as needed
Glass noodles (sweet potato noodles)
as needed
Baby cabbage
as needed
Cooking oil
as needed
Water
as needed
Instructions
1
Prepare the meatballs
Fry small meatballs until cooked through and set aside for later use.
2
Fry aromatics and cabbage
Heat oil in a pan. Fry a small handful of Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, then remove them. Stir-fry the napa cabbage with minced ginger, garlic, and green onion. Add a little water and cook until the napa cabbage is just tender.
3
Assemble the sand pot
In a sand pot, layer the ingredients starting with the cooked napa cabbage at the bottom. Next, add the glass noodles (soaked if needed), followed by the fried meatballs, and finally the baby cabbage on top.
4
Simmer the stew
Cover the sand pot and simmer over low heat for half an hour until everything is cooked through and flavorful.
