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Chinese Pork Meatballs

My take on Lion's head meatballs: wonderfully light but complexly flavoured & with a rich, glossy sauce. Serve over greens, & rice too if you like.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 3 - 4 people (12 large meatballs)
Author Moorlands Eater

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

For the sauce

  • 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

Instructions

  1. Take a large bowl and add all the ingredients for the meatballs EXCEPT the egg, breadcrumbs and oil for frying.

  2. Using a silicone spatula or similar, mix together all the ingredients very well.

  3. Beat in the egg and 2 handfuls of the breadcrumbs until well combined: squidging the mixture together with your hands is often the best at this stage.

    The mixture should be quite soft and not dry, but if it seems too soft to hold together into balls add more breadcrumbs.

  4. Take a large frying pan and heat 1 tablespoon of the oil to moderate.

  5. Take a handful of the mixture and form it into a ball slightly larger than a golf ball.

    Place in the hot oil and then shape 3 more balls, adding them to the pan.

  6. When the balls are brown underneath, gently turn or roll with a spatula so that all sides are eventually browned all over: as the mixture is soft, you'll need to roll it on all sides to keep the sphere shape.

  7. When the first batch of balls are browned, transfer them to a plate.

    Make and brown another batch of 4 meatballs, adding more oil as needed and transferring to the plate when done.

    Continue until you've used all the mixture. You should get around 12 large meatballs.

  8. Wipe out the frying pan with kitchen paper.

    Put in all the ingredients for the sauce EXCEPT the cornflour and bring to a simmer.

  9. Place the browned meatballs in the pan in a single layer and gently simmer until cooked all the way through, regularly turning and basting them with the liquid (15-20 min).

  10. Mix a paste with the cornflour and 2 teaspoons of cold water.

    Push the meatballs to one side of the pan then stir the cornflour paste into the sauce.

    Distribute it as best you can throughout the pan and allow to bubble for 2 mins, stirring often, until the sauce thickens.

  11. Serve 3-4 Chinese Pork Meatballs per person plus the sauce over stir-fried greens or other vegetables, with rice too if liked.