Tender, juicy and incredibly moist, these lion’s head meatballs with sticky rice stand out from their meatball counterparts by their size and succulence. The inclusion of sticky rice takes these meatballs to a whole new level, making it a must-have ingredient. Every bite of these classic, easy-to-make and must-have meatballs is heavenly and happy!
About Lion’s Head Meatballs
Lion’s head meatballs are a classic Chinese dish often found at restaurants and formal meals. Their name stems from their appearance. The over-sized meatball resembles a lion’s head; and the napa cabbage or baby bok choy tucked around the meatball mimics a lion’s mane.
It’s common to eat these meatballs deep fried or seared in a pan, and then braised to perfection in a soy sauce broth. These meatballs are so succulent and a wonderful addition to any recipe rolodex. Cook them and the whole family is happy!
Notes for Lion’s Head Meatballs with Sticky Rice
- Sticky rice is not a customary ingredient, but makes these meatballs really special. The meatballs are softer and more tender, while further binding them together.
- Cook sticky rice about 80% done. The meatballs and sticky rice will steam later in a mushroom broth and cook completely. About 1/3 cup uncooked sticky rice may yield about 3/4 cups cooked rice. A procedure for cooking really springy, sticky rice is here.
- Cooked sticky rice clumps together, making it difficult to evenly incorporate rice granules into the meatball mixture. As a workaround, drop the sticky rice into a bowl of cold water and break it up using your hands. Scoop the rice granules up with your hands, leaving behind the water, and scatter over the meatball mixture. Stir the meatball mixture to combine well.
- Use a lot of boiling water to re-hydrate the Shiitake mushrooms. The residual water can be used later for simmering the meatballs. After washing the mushrooms, re-hydrate them, covered, in an overabundance of boiled water for at least an hour.
- Strain the re-hydrated mushroom water through a fine cloth or quilted paper napkin to fully remove residual particles, grit and dirt from the Shiitake mushrooms before using it as braising stock.
- The fattier the pork, the better the taste, but regular ground pork still comes out very succulent.
- Fresh water chestnuts have a better taste than canned, though canned is fine and probably more convenient. The downside to using fresh water chestnuts: a need to peel them, cut the tops and bottoms off and use them before they rot within a week.
- Taste test a sample meatball before cooking the entire batch. Cook a small-sized meatball to ensure the meat is A-OK.
- If you plan to consume the soup – rather than discard it, consider tasting and seasoning the broth with additional soy sauce or sugar after the meatballs have finished braising. Napa cabbage releases a considerable amount of water when cooked, which can water down the soup.
- Pan-fried meatballs — versus deep-fried — lose their round shape after searing and flipping them. If this troubles you, allow the meatballs to cool down after searing, and reshape them into balls before placing in the pot to simmer.
Storing meatballs
Meatballs and burgers are convenient make ahead meals. The raw meat mixture can store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day, or frozen for up to 1 month in an airtight container. Cooked meatballs can store in the freezer for up to 2 months in an airtight container. [1]
Lion’s Head Meatballs with Sticky Rice
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Loading...Tender, juicy and incredibly moist, these lions head meatballs stand out from their meatball counterparts by their size and succulence. The inclusion of sticky rice takes these meatballs to a whole new level, making it a must-have ingredient. Every bite of these classic, easy-to-make and need-to-make meatballs is heavenly and happy!
Ingredients
- For the mushrooms:
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 cups boiled water to re-hydrate the shiitake mushrooms
- For the meatball:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp white pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 green onions minced (1/3 cup)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 8 peeled, fresh water chestnuts minced (canned is fine)
- ¾ cup cooked sticky rice
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp oil for frying
- For the soup:
- 2 small heads napa cabbage, cut into 2” long pieces
- 2 cups re-hydrated shiitake mushroom water
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar (optional)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
- Pinch of white pepper
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- Garnish: Green parts of green onions
Instructions
Re-hydrate the mushrooms:
In a bowl, place dried shiitake mushrooms and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Allow to soak for at least 1 hour until re-hydrated.
Mince the shiitake mushrooms.
Strain residual mushroom water through a fine filter or napkin to remove the grit. Reserve for later.
Make the meatballs:
In a large mixing bowl add ground pork, Shaoxing wine, ginger powder, minced ginger, oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, sugar, minced green onions, cornstarch and minced water chestnuts. Stir to combine.
Add 3 tablespoons water and egg. Whip the mixture vigorously in a circular motion until pasty, about 5 minutes.
With wet hands, break up the sticky rice. Add sticky rice and minced shiitake mushrooms to the mixture. Stir to combine well.
With wet hands form 8 large meatballs.
Preheat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with oil. Gently add meatballs to the skillet and brown on all sides.
Braise the meatballs:
In a pot lay down napa cabbage or baby bok choy leaves.
Gently nestle meatballs on the napa cabbage or baby bok choy.
In a bowl mix 2 cups strained mushroom water with soy sauce, sugar and white pepper. Pour over the meatballs.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the meatballs register over 160F.
Taste to adjust soy sauce and sugar if using.
Add sesame oil and gently stir in the cornstarch slurry. Serve and garnish with chopped green onions.
Notes
Use partially cooked sticky rice for the raw meatball mixture.
Cooked sticky rice can clump together, making it difficult to incorporate evenly into the meatballs. As a workaround, drop the sticky rice into a bowl of cold water and break it up using your hands. Scoop the rice granules up with your hands, leaving behind the water, and scatter over the meatball mixture. Stir the meatball mixture to combine well.
References
[1] How to Make Meatballs. Pillsbury.
