Lion's Head Meatball Stew

At first glance, the name might sound weird for a dish. The Lion's Head Meatball Stew is traditionally cooked in Shanghai which consists of oversized pork meatballs and greens. The large meatball size represent the lion's head and the greens for its mane. For the stew, we added some leftover pork and beef balls.

Serves 4-6
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 water chestnuts, peeled and minced
1 egg
1 tsp sake
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
1/2 nappa
5-6 cups chicken stock or water
2-3 scallions, diced

Procedure

1. In a bowl, combine pork, ginger, water chestnuts, egg, sake, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper.

2. Shape ground pork into large meatballs, about 3'' in diameter. Flatten them a bit so it is not completely round.

3. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Pan fry meatballs until golden on the outside.

4. In a soup pot, cover bottom with nappa. Place meatballs on top of the nappa.

5. Pour chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30-45 mins until meatballs are fully cooked. Garnish with scallions.