Shopping list for the meatballs
450 grams minced pork
8 grams ginger, finely chopped
1 spring onion, in rings
1 large free-range organic egg
25 grams breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon five-spice powder
1½ teaspoon cornflour + 60 ml water
Optional: 100 grams water chestnuts (tinned)
vegetable oil (for frying)
For the sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 slices ginger
2 spring onions (cut into pieces, white and green parts separated)
2 heaped teaspoons brown caster sugar
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon cornflour (mixed into a paste with 1 tablespoon water)
100 grams chestnut mushrooms
(Instead of water chestnuts, we stir-fry mushrooms at the end)
For Chinese New Year we make (slightly modified) Shīzitóu with rice and Pak Choi, delicious meatballs according to an authentic Chinese recipe. In English the meatballs are called Lion's Head Meatballs.(Download the extensive recipe in PDF)
We used a ribbed cookie cutter on the meatballs but that went completely wrong during baking.;)) But the meatballs don't taste any less delicious, it just would have looked really pretty and like a lion.
How to make Shīzitóu
Place the minced meat in a bowl.
Cut the onions in rings.
Add all to the mince meat.
Blend it into a paste.
Scrape all the paste out of the blender.
Roll it into meatballs.
Bake in the vegetable oil.
Fry the meatballs until they are nicely browned all around, they do not have to be cooked, that comes later!
Remove the meatballs from the pan.
Cover and put them aside.
How to make the sauce
Cut the onion into strips and slice the ginger.
Heat the oil and fry the shite onion and the ginger in it.
Add the brown sugar and the Shaoxing wine to the pan
Stir in the cornfkower slurrie and let the sauce thicken.
Cook the meatballs through in the sauce for 12-15 minutes.
Place in a bowl and fry the green onion and mushrooms until soft.
Pour the sauce over the Lionshead Meatballs.
While the meatballs had to cook for 12-15 minutes, we cooked the rice and stir fried Pak Choi.
Then all the dishes are ready at the same time.
Xin Nian Kuai Le! Happy Lunar New Year!