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Chinese Lion's Head Meatballs, thewoksoflife.com
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4.94 from 31 votes

Lion's Head Meatballs

Lion's Head Meatballs is a classic Chinese celebration dish. Our recipe is succulent and flavorful, braised in a rich sauce.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Pork
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 8
Calories: 238kcal
Author: Judy

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

For the sauce:

Instructions

Make the meatballs:

  • Make sure to find fatty ground pork. You can choose a fatty piece of pork shoulder and have the butcher grind it, or use our hand-chopping method to grind your own. A 70/30 meat to fat ratio is best, but 80/20 is also acceptable. Transfer the ground pork to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the minced ginger and scallions, egg, breadcrumbs, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, five spice powder, cornstarch, and water.
  • Whip everything in one direction for about 10 minutes, until the meat mixture resembles a paste.  This step is very important to making sure the meatballs have the right texture and don’t fall apart during frying.
  • Smash the water chestnuts with the side of your cleaver or knife and finely mince them. Add to the meat mixture and continue to mix everything together for 5 more minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape everything together.
  • Heat enough oil to submerge the meatballs in a small, deep pot (a small pot requires less oil) to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C. Just be sure there’s enough oil to cook the meatballs evenly, but that the oil will not overflow during frying.
  • With oiled hands, divide the meat mixture into 8 to 9 equal portions and shape each into a ball. Carefully lower the meatballs one at a time into the heated oil, and fry in batches (2 minutes per batch) until they’re evenly golden brown. Remove the par-cooked meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Make the sauce & braise:

  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over low heat. Add the ginger and white parts of the scallions, and cook for 1 minute. Then add the sugar and cook until dissolved.
  • Add 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 ½ tablespoons light soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and 1 ½ cup water. Stir and bring the liquid to a boil. 
  • Once boiling, add the fried meatballs. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes over medium/low heat, flipping the meatballs halfway through.
  • After simmering, there should be about ¾ cup liquid left. Remove the meatballs from the liquid and arrange on your serving plate. (I served these with blanched baby bok choy. Just add a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil to boiling water for that “shiny” look, and blanch for 30 seconds).
  • Mix your cornstarch slurry, and pour into the sauce to thicken. Once it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stir in ¼ teaspoon sesame oil and the green parts of the scallions. Once the scallions are wilted, drizzle the sauce over the meatballs.

Notes

Note: Nutrition information assumes recipe makes 8 meatballs, and is for 1 large meatball with sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 504mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg