Lion Head Meatballs : Four Happiness Meatballs

【 狮子头 】【  四喜丸子 】

[Ingredients A] Giant Meatballs

About 350g minced pork make 5 to 6 giant meatballs

Pepper

1 tbsp cooking wine

1.5 tbsp cornflour

1 egg

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 chopped onion

Scallions

2 finely chopped water chestnuts

1.5 tbsp soya sauce

1.5 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock

1 tsp dark soya sauce

1 tbsp sugar

Dashes of mixed spice powder / mixed spice powder

Optional:

1) Finely chopped mushrooms

2) salted egg yolk (add only later as a filling)

[Ingredients B] – mix and stir until you get a smooth mixture

1 tbsp cornflour

1 small egg

[ingredients C] Braising Sauce

Approximately 600 ml water / stock

1 tbsp sugar

2 Bay leaves

4 Star anise

1 tsp dark soya sauce

2 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 Knorr chicken cube

Pepper

Mixed spice powder / 5 spice powder / cinnamon stick

Add these later:

Cornstarch + water

1 tsp black vinegar (optional)

1 tbsp cooking wine

Other variations: Some people add Chinese cabbage and make this soup base instead.

[ Directions ]

You start start cooking  the braising sauce in Ingredients C in a pot first.

1. Mix all of Ingredients A for Giant meat balls.

2. Heat up some oil for deep frying until the oil is hot enough for deep frying. You can shallow fry too.

3. Pick up some minced meat (between 70g~100g and roll it into a ball. Stuff a salted yolk into the middle of the meat if you’d like to.

4. Coat the outside of the meatball with ingredients B

5. Gently place the meatball for deep frying. After about 1 min, turn the meatball around.

6. Fry until the outer meat crust is tough enough to hold the ball together, but don’t have to fry for too long. About 3 mins is enough. The inside of the meatball is probably not cooked thoroughly yet considering the large size of the meatball, but we are going to braise it in the braising sauce.

7. Place the meatballs inside the braising sauce, [Ingredient C] and continue cooking it in with a covered lid and simmer for another 30 mins in low heat.

8. Serve.