Shandong Steamed Meatballs
A classic Shandong (Lu cuisine) meatball dish with a soft, tender texture and a rich, savory broth accented by sour and spicy notes.
Ingredients
lean pork (finely minced)
125 g
pork fat (cut into 0.6 cm-thick slices, score both sides in a crosshatch pattern with straight cuts, then cut into 0.6 cm cubes)
125 g
coriander leaves (some finely chopped; the rest cut into 3 cm lengths)
100 g
rice (washed to remove grit)
50 g
deer-horn greens (30 g finely chopped; 20 g cut into 3 cm lengths)
50 g
Chinese cabbage (finely chopped)
to taste
eggs (2)
100 g
fine salt
4 g
minced scallion and ginger
10 g
MSG
0.5 g
vinegar
to taste
sesame oil
to taste
ground white pepper
to taste
Instructions
1
Prepare the lean pork
Wash the lean pork and mince it finely. Place it in a bowl, add the eggs, and stir until evenly combined.
2
Dice the pork fat
Cut the pork fat into 0.6 cm-thick slices. Score both sides of each slice in a crosshatch pattern using straight cuts, then cut the slices into 0.6 cm cubes.
3
Prepare the rice and greens
Wash the rice thoroughly to remove all grit. Clean the deer-horn greens, finely chop 30 g, and cut 20 g into 3 cm lengths.
4
Mix the filling
Combine the minced lean pork, minced scallion and ginger, minced dried shrimp, chopped deer-horn greens, chopped Chinese cabbage, and chopped coriander in a container. Add the white pepper, MSG, and fine salt, and mix evenly. Shape the mixture into 3.3 cm-diameter balls and arrange them flat in a dish.
5
Steam the meatballs
Steam over high heat for about 8 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the meatballs and place them in a large soup bowl.
6
Prepare the broth
Put clear stock and fine salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the coriander segments, bring to a rolling boil over high heat, and stir in the MSG. Pour the broth into the large bowl, drizzle with sesame oil and vinegar, and sprinkle with ground white pepper.
