Lion's head meatballs braised with napa cabbage
65 min · 42 g protein · 583 cals / serving
Shi zi tou, the giant, tender pork meatballs of Shanghai and Yangzhou that stand for family reunion at the New Year table: flavoured with ginger, scallion, soy and Shaoxing, crunchy with water chestnut, browned and then braised in a clear, gingery broth on a mane of napa cabbage and shiitake until the cabbage is silky and sweet. One big meatball each in a bowl of broth, with rice.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2/3 lb pork loin fillet, raw, pork tenderloin or loin, minced
- 9 oz ground pork, regular ground pork
- 1/2 cup water chestnuts, canned, drained and finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp ginger, finely grated
- 4 green onions, white parts minced for the meatballs, greens sliced to serve
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sherry, dry sherry or Shaoxing wine, half for the meatballs and half for the braise
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
Braise
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 medium napa cabbage Chinese cabbage, in 5 cm (2-inch) pieces, stems and leaves apart
- 6 large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, halved
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
- 1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
To serve
- 1 1/4 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
Steps
- In a large bowl, combine both porks, the water chestnuts, egg, cornstarch, ginger, minced green onion whites, soy sauce, half the sherry, sesame oil and white pepper. Stir hard in one direction for 3 minutes, until the mixture is sticky and holds together. With wet hands, shape into 4 large, loose balls and toss each gently from hand to hand a few times to firm it up.
- Heat the oil in a wide, deep pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs for 2–3 minutes per side, turning carefully, until golden all over; they will not be cooked inside yet. Lift onto a plate.
- Add the cabbage stems and shiitake to the pot and stir for 2 minutes, then add the leaves, the broth, the reduced-sodium soy sauce and the rest of the sherry. Nestle the meatballs on top, half-submerged.
- Bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat to low and braise 25 minutes, spooning broth over the meatballs once or twice, until the cabbage is meltingly soft and the meatballs are cooked through (160°F in the centre).
- Meanwhile cook the rice (1 part rice to 1 1/4 parts water, simmered covered 12 minutes, rested 10). Serve each meatball in a bowl with cabbage and plenty of broth, scattered with the sliced green onion, with rice on the side.
Good to know
Why do my meatballs fall apart?
Usually too little stirring. Beating the meat in one direction until sticky is what binds it; the cornstarch and egg help. Brown them gently and do not move them until the first side has set.
Can I use more regular ground pork?
Yes; fattier pork is the traditional choice and makes the most tender, juicy meatballs. Swapping the proportions to 350 g regular and 200 g lean gives about 64 instead of 67.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, it is even better the next day. Cool, refrigerate in the broth and reheat gently, covered, for 15 minutes.
Per
- Calories
- 76
- Protein
- (29%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (27%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (44%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 263 mg
About 35% of the alcohol remains after cooking; the label counts only that.
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2331 kcal goes into the pot and 3032 g of ingredients comes out as about 3050 g of food: 76 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.