Zhaoyuan Meatballs
A celebrated regional specialty from Zhaoyuan, Shandong, made with a variety of ingredients in a savory, flavorful broth. The meatballs are fluffy, tender, and juicy, with a well-rounded balance of sour, spicy, salty, and aromatic notes.
Ingredients
Lean pork (washed and minced)
Eggs
Fat pork (sliced into 0.6 cm thick pieces, scored in a crosshatch pattern on both sides, then cut into 0.7 cm cubes)
Antler seaweed (soaked in warm water until soft, washed, hard roots removed, finely minced)
Dried shrimp (soaked in warm water until soft, washed, and minced)
Cabbage heart (washed and finely minced)
100 g
Cilantro (cleaned; 30 g minced, 20 g cut into 3 cm segments)
50 g
Green onion (8 g shredded, 7 g minced)
15 g
Minced ginger
5 g
White pepper powder
25 g
MSG
Fine salt
Clear broth
300 g
Vinegar
15 g
Sesame oil
10 g
Instructions
1
Preparation
Wash the lean pork and mince it. Add the eggs and mix evenly. Slice the fat pork into 0.6 cm thick pieces, score both sides in a crosshatch pattern, then cut into 0.7 cm cubes.
2
Cutting and Prep
Soak the antler seaweed in warm water until soft, wash, remove the hard roots, and cut into fine bits. Soak the dried shrimp in warm water until soft, wash, and mince. Wash the cabbage heart and mince into fine bits as well. Clean the cilantro, mince 30 g, and cut the remaining 20 g into 3 cm segments. Shred 8 g of the green onion and mince the remaining 7 g.
3
Forming and Steaming the Meatballs
In a large bowl, combine the minced lean pork, fat pork cubes, green onion, ginger, dried shrimp, antler seaweed, cabbage, and cilantro. Add the white pepper, MSG, and salt, and mix well. Form into meatballs about 3 cm in diameter and arrange flat on a plate. Steam over high heat until cooked through, then transfer to a large soup bowl.
4
Finishing the Soup
In a soup pot, combine the clear broth, salt, and MSG. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the white pepper and vinegar and skim off the foam. Pour into the large soup bowl, drizzle with sesame oil, and garnish with the shredded green onion and cilantro segments.
