Contrary to what one might think upon hearing the name of the dish, lion’s head is a meal consisting of big pork meatballs that are stewed with noodles and vegetables such as cabbage. It dates back to the times of the Sui Dynasty, when Emperor Yang took a trip to Yangzhou and made his chefs prepare a dish that was inspired by the Yangzhou landscapes, which he loved.
Chinese Lion’s Head Meatball| (狮子头 – Shīzi Tóu)
Course: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Medium6
servings15
minutes30
minutes233
kcal45
minutesContrary to what one might think upon hearing the name of the dish, lion’s head is a meal consisting of big pork meatballs that are stewed with noodles and vegetables such as cabbage. It dates back to the times of the Sui Dynasty, when Emperor Yang took a trip to Yangzhou and made his chefs prepare a dish that was inspired by the Yangzhou landscapes, which he loved.
Ingredients
- For the meatballs
2 stalks scallions
1 thumb-sized ginger
400 g minced pork, with 20% fat or higher
100 g minced chicken
2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 tbsp light soy sauce
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp sesame oil
1 large egg
1 tbsp cornstarch
60 g water chestnut, minced, about 10 canned ones
Cooking oil for deep frying
- For the soup
7 pieces Napa cabbage leaves, cut in halves crosswise
6 large dried shiitake mushroom, soaked in 500ml water overnight
½ tbsp dried shrimp, optional
¼ tsp salt, or to taste
1 pinch ground white pepper
Directions
- Prepare the meatball mixture
- Cut the scallions into sections (save some green parts for garnishing the dish later) and slice the ginger. Soak them in 6 tbsp of warm water. Leave to cool.
- In a bowl, mix minced pork, minced chicken, Shaoxing rice wine, light soy sauce, salt, sugar, sesame oil, egg and cornstarch. Stir constantly in one direction while adding the scallion ginger water little by little.
- Once the liquid is fully absorbed and the meat becomes sticky and jiggly, add minced water chestnut then stir to combine.
- Shape & fry the meatballs
- In a deep pot, heat up oil for deep frying (A smaller pot requires less oil).
- Divide the meat mixture into 6 portions. Transfer one portion to a small bowl. Use a spatular or a spoon to press the meat against the bowl to shape it into a ball (please refer to the video below).
- When the temperature of the oil reaches 180°C/360°F (see note 4 if you don’t have a kitchen thermometer), gently slide the meatball into the oil (be careful not to splash). Roll it from time to time to ensure even colouring. Take out when they look golden all around.
- Repeat the procedure to shape and fry the rest of the balls. Since these meatballs are quite large (about 7cm/2.7in), do not fry more than 2 balls at a time as you don’t want the oil temperature to drop too much. Also, the meatballs need ample space to move around in the oil.
- Cook the soup
- In another pot, lay the white part of the Napa cabbage then place the fried meatballs on top.
- Add sliced shiitake mushrooms and pour in the water in which the mushrooms were soaked (discard the solid bits at the bottom of the bowl).
- Add the scallions & ginger (which were used to flavour the water used in the meat mixture) and dried shrimp (if using). Season with salt and white pepper.
- Bring the soup to a full boil. Turn the heat to low. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 15 mins. Put the remaining leafy part of the cabbage over the meatballs. Continue simmering for a further 5 mins.
- Garnish with finely chopped scallions. Serve warm with plain rice, along with other savoury dishes.
