In its birthplace in Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, these meatballs are simply known as lion’s head (狮子头 shī zī toú) owing to its impressive size that resembles the head of a ‘foo dog’, or Chinese guardian lion. This dish is usually served with blanched or stir fried napa cabbage. Someone once commented that the cabbage looked like a lion’s flowing mane, so the name stuck.
There are many ways to cook them; you can steam or boil in broth, or deep fry then braise in soy sauce (“red cooked”). Traditionally this classic Huaiyang dish requires you to make it from ground pork (shoulder cut) with large proportions of pork fat, but I’m trying to cut down on red meat consumption these days so I went with a 80:20 leaner meat-to-fat ratio. Just enough fat on it so it’s still flavourful and succulent. I usually make 8 or 9 meatballs simply because the number 8 represents wealth while 9 is longevity—quite auspicious numbers in Chinese culture!
Lion's Head Meatballs with Cantonese Yee Mee Broth
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 500 g ground pork 4/6 fat/lean ratio
- 1/4 cup spring onions finely sliced
- 1 tsp ginger peeled and grated
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shao Xing rice wine
- 1 tbsp sesame oil toasted
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs large
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 50 ml cornstarch
- 1 head napa cabbage washed, cored and peeled to individual leaves
For the yee mee broth base
- 1 liter prawn or chicken stock
- 8 pieces sea prawns medium size, cleaned and deveined but keep the shells on
- 4 tbsp cornstarch mixed with a few tablespoons of water to make a thick slurry
- 4 rolls dry crispy yee mee
- 4 eggs large
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tbsp garlic finely minced
- spring onions for garnishing
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, finely chop and mince the ground meat to smaller pieces. The Woks of Life has some great tips to grind your own meat if you don't have a grinder; I've attached the link to her website below. Or get a butcher to grind the meat for you.
- In a bowl, combine the ground pork with all the other ingredients (except napa cabbage). Using a spatula or your hands, stir the mixture with a firm hand, whipping in one direction for 10 minutes until it resembles a paste. Pick up the meat and "slap" it back into the bowl to create an elastic texture. You'll need to achieve this consistency so the meat doesn't fall apart when it goes into the boiling pot of soup.
- Prepare your pot of prawn/chicken stock. Once it starts boiling, turn down fire to low and simmer until thoroughly heated. Add garlic then season with salt and pepper.
- Gently break one egg into a big soup ladle, then slowly lower the ladle into the simmering stock to poach. Once poached, transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the other eggs.
- Add prawns and napa cabbage into the stock and blanch for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to a bowl.
- Coat your hands with a few drops of oil, then divide the meatball mixture into 8 or 9 equal portions and shape each into a ball. Carefully drop them into the simmering stock. Cook them in batches. Once they are cooked and float to the top, remove them with a slotted spoon.
- Finally, add the cornstarch slurry to the soup and stir well until the stock thickens.
- Place crispy yee mee in a bowl or deep plate. Add prawns, meatballs and napa cabbage, then top it with poached eggs and spring onions. Finally pour the hot broth over the noodles. Serve immediately with sliced bird's eye chillies mixed with soy sauce.
If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!
