Braised Pork Lion's Head Meatballs with Napa Cabbage

What you need

• 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) ground pork, 20-30% fat
• 400 g (14 oz) napa cabbage, leaves torn into large pieces
• 80 g (3 oz) canned water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 4 scallions, 1 minced, 3 cut into 5 cm lengths
• 30 g (1 oz) fresh ginger, half minced, half sliced
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp for the meatballs, 1 tbsp for thickening
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, for searing
• 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Put the pork in a large bowl with the minced scallion, minced ginger, egg, 1 tbsp of the Shaoxing wine, 1 tbsp of the light soy sauce, the white pepper, salt, sugar, sesame oil and 1 tbsp of the cornstarch.

2. 2

   Stir in one direction with chopsticks for 3-5 min, until the mixture turns sticky and clings to the bowl.

3. 3

   Fold in the water chestnuts.

4. 4

   Wet your hands and shape the mixture into 4 large balls, about the size of a tennis ball.

5. 5

   Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sear the meatballs for 3-4 min per side, until golden. Lift them out.

6. 6

   Add the sliced ginger and the scallion lengths to the pot and fry for 30 seconds. Pour in the remaining Shaoxing wine, then the stock, the remaining light soy sauce and the dark soy sauce.

7. 7

   Return the meatballs to the pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 min.

8. 8

   Lay the cabbage around and over the meatballs, cover again and simmer for 15-20 min, until the cabbage is soft and the meatballs are cooked through (71 °C / 160 °F inside).

9. 9

   Move the meatballs and cabbage to a deep serving dish. Stir the remaining cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water and stir it into the braising liquid. Simmer for 1-2 min until lightly thickened.

10. 10

    Spoon the glossy sauce over the meatballs and serve hot.

Imported from cookist.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.