10/09/2020

Chinese Pork Meatballs

Name: Chinese Pork Meatballs
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 500 g pork mince; 120 g water chestnuts ((approx weight of small tin after draining) roughly chopped); 6 spring onions (finely chopped); 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped or grated); 2-3 cm root ginger (peeled, finely chopped or grated); 4 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tbsp sesame oil; 1 level tbsp cornflour; 1 tsp dark soy sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 0.5 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 1 egg; 2-3 handfuls breadcrumbs; oil for shallow frying (e.g. groundnut, sunflower); 300 ml chicken stock or water; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tsp sugar; 1 tsp dark soy sauce; 2 star anise; 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 2 tsp cornflour

Chinese Pork Meatballs are my version of a dish often called Lion’s head meatballs.

Pork mince is turned into wonderfully light meatballs with flavourings such as Chinese rice wine, garlic, ginger, soy and sesame. For contrasting texture there’s crunchy water chestnuts too.

After browning, I like to braise the meatballs in a rich sauce seasoned with star anise and Chinese five spice.

I eat them over stir fried greens; add some rice too if you like.

Jump to Recipe

Lion’s head meatballs, large meatballs surrounded by greens, are so called as they are supposed to look like the head of a Chinese guardian lion.

I’ve seen various ways of cooking the rich, comforting meatballs. Some are steamed and served in a broth, some fried, others braised with a thick sauce.

But I don’t claim to be making authentic Lion’s head meatballs here, just my own take on them. Which is why I’ve simply named them Chinese Pork Meatballs.

CHINESE PORK MEATBALLS

Although the name may be simple, I think these meatballs are wonderfully rich with a complex flavour. However, that doesn’t mean they’re heavy. Actually, they’re lovely and light.

After lightly browning the meatballs, I braise them in a flavoursome stock. This keeps them deliciously moist.

Once the meatballs are cooked all the way through, to create a thicker sauce, I blend in a little cornflour.

This gives a glossy finish and a sauce that will also enhance the flavour of the vegetables you serve them on.

MAKING THE MEATBALLS

First off, into a big bowl I put pork mince (free range, please), ginger, garlic, spring onions, dark and light soy sauces (the first is sweeter, the latter saltier), plus sesame oil, a little sugar, salt and black pepper.

Also in there are chopped water chestnuts. I use all of a small tin, drained, which is usually around 120g (minus the couple I have to pop in my mouth as I love them).

I prefer not to chop the water chestnuts too finely as I like the crunch they bring to the otherwise soft meatballs.

One ingredient not yet so familiar in Britain as soy sauce, several tablespoons of which are indispensable for this dish, is Chinese cooking rice wine.

Often labelled Shaoxing or Shaohsing, it gives a complex and distinctive flavour to many dishes. Now widely available in supermarkets as well Chinese grocery stores, I wouldn’t be without a bottle in the cupboard.

To bind the meatball mixture together, you’ll also need to add cornflour, an egg and some breadcrumbs.

I start by adding two handfuls of breadcrumbs, adding a few more if needed.

You’ll find that the mixture is very soft. But don’t worry. It’s this which keeps the Chinese Pork Meatballs light.

I like them on the large side, which seems to be traditional, but it’s really up to you. The amounts shown in the detailed recipe card at the end of the post should give you around 12 large (slightly bigger than a golf ball) meatballs.

Next, the meatballs are browned in a mild, flavourless oil such as groundnut.

BROWNING THE MEATBALLS

I should admit that, due to the soft nature of the mixture, browning the meatballs is the only tricky bit of the recipe. I recommend you do it in batches, three or four at a time, transferring to a plate as each batch is done.

Once the bottoms of the first batch are set and lightly browned, I gently roll them onto another side. Rolling should help them stay together better than flipping onto the other side as you might a meat patty. Repeat until the meatballs are brown all over.

I must admit, some of my Chinese Pork Meatballs can end up looking a little cuboid rather than spherical.

But I don’t really mind so long as they’re big, succulent and tasty!

Because the browning can take a while, I sometimes do everything I’ve shown you up to now in advance.

Then, when you’re nearing the time to eat, you can do the final step of making the sauce and braising the meatballs in it. This takes around 15-20 minutes and you can be preparing your vegetables, rice or other accompaniments at the same time.

BRAISING IN THE SAUCE

Making the rich sauce is dead easy.

In the pan in which you browned the meatballs, add chicken stock (veg stock or even water at a pinch), sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and black pepper.

To add even more flavour, throw in a couple of star anise and a teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder.

Once everything is up to a simmer, you can add back to the pan all the browned meatballs. If any juices have collected on the plate while they’ve been resting, add those in too.

The meatballs should then be simmered until hot and cooked all the way through. I use a metal skewer plunged into the middle to check.

While they’re simmering, turn the meatballs occasionally. Baste with some of the stock too so that they cook evenly and stay nice and moist.

If you prefer a thinner sauce then you can skip the next step, but I like to thicken it.

Just two teaspoons of cornflour, mixed into a little cold water before adding to the pan, will give a lovely glossy finish to your sauce and help it cloak the meatballs.

Bubble everything together for a couple of minutes, basting again, and you’re ready to serve.

SERVING CHINESE PORK MEATBALLS

Chinese leaves would be traditional with these meatballs (to form the lion’s ‘mane’), but I also like darker greens such as Savoy cabbage or kale.

To increase the vegetable content, in the bowl you see here I stir-fried some sliced mushrooms along with the cabbage and a little garlic.

Break into the appetisingly browned, shiny-coated meatballs and you’ll find soft, complexly flavoured pork. And those crunchy little bits of water chestnut are a contrasting delight.

If you want to make the meatballs go further, then you could serve some plainly boiled rice too. A fresh cucumber salad, flavoured with rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and chilli is refreshing alongside.

Leftover meatballs are good reheated the next day and freeze really well too, so it’s always worth making a full batch.

Chinese Pork Meatballs isn’t one of those meals you can knock up in a flash. Not least because the browning must be done carefully to avoid them breaking up.

But, for just a little effort and using mainly store cupboard ingredients, you’ll get a wonderfully full-flavoured, satisfying meal.

Have you made Chinese Pork Meatballs?