Lionhead Meatball Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Mix the ground pork, egg, cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, ginger, monosodium glutamate, salt, and half of the chopped green onions together in a bowl. Use your hands to mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, fry the napa cabbage, stirring constantly, until cabbage begins to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, water, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium.
• Use a spoon to form the meat mixture into 1 inch balls. Drop them into the boiling soup. When the last ball has been added, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste, and adjust salt before serving. Garnish with remaining green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil.

Steps:

• For the meatballs:
• Put the ground beef, rice wine, garlic, spring onions, egg, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, salt, and white pepper into a large bowl to combine, stirring in the same direction.
• Using wet hands, scoop a large mound of the ground meat mixture, and mold it into a ball. The size should be a little larger than a golf ball. Transfer the meatball to a plate and repeat with the remaining mixture.
• For the assembly:
• Pour the groundnut oil into a large deep pan, and heat over a high heat. Using a metal ladle, carefully lower each meatball into the oil, and spoon some of the oil over the meatballs. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until browned.
• Pour all but 2 tablespoons of oil into a heat-proof bowl. Add the vegetable stock to the pan. Arrange the quarters of Chinese cabbage around the meatballs, curving them lengthwise around the sides of the pan, then add the mushrooms, and soy sauce. Bring everything to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce its heat, and cook gently for 15 minutes. Add the blended cornstarch slurry, if using, and stir until the sauce thickens.
• Remove the pan from the heat, and season with salt, and white pepper, to taste, and sprinkle over the spring onion slices. Transfer the dish to a warm serving platter, and serve immediately.
• Heat a pan, add the rice and water, cover, and cook over high heat for 15 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to very low, and cook for an additional 3 minutes, making sure all the water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and, using a spatula, fluff the rice. It is now ready to serve.

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the pork with the ginger-scallion water, eggs and season. Throw the pork in a bowl 10 times to compact the meat together. Preheat a large skillet and coat with oil. Make 8 large meatballs and coat with cornstarch. Only brown the meatballs on all sides. Do not cook them through, then drain on paper towels. Place sliced cabbage in the clay pot and top with meatballs. Mix sugar with soy sauces to dissolve and add to pot. Add peel, mushrooms and stock. Check for seasoning. (The flavor of the broth will eventually be the flavor of the meatballs/cabbage, season well.) Top the meatballs with the whole cabbage leaves and cover. Place in the oven and braise for 3 hours.
• PLATING Serve the clay pot family style with small bowls of steamed rice.

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl and stir to combine well. Using wetted hands, take a golf ball-sized mound and roll into a round shape. Put on a plate and repeat to make 12.
• Pour the groundnut oil into a large wok or pan and set over high heat until a thermometer reads 160C. Put a meatball onto a slotted spoon and gently lower into the oil. Leave to brown for 5-7 mins until golden, then cook all the meatballs. To check if a meatball is cooked, push a skewer through and, if it comes out clean, it's cooked. Lift the meatballs out, then drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside.
• Add 1 tbsp of the hot oil to a clean wok. Put over a high heat, add the vegetable stock, 850ml water, the mushrooms and Chinese leaf, and cook over a medium heat for 10-12 mins. Add the meatballs and cook for a further 4-5 mins, adjusting the cabbage leaves so they wrap around each meatball - the meatball resembles the 'lion's head' and the cabbage resembles the 'mane'. Season with sesame oil, salt and ground white pepper. To thicken the soup, add 1 tbsp of the cornflour mixture when the broth is boiling. Then turn the heat to low and garnish with the sliced spring onions.
• Ladle a portion into soup bowls, spoon a meatball and with some Chinese leaf and sliced mushrooms, and serve immediately.