Lion’s head meatballs
Big, tender pork meatballs braised with silky napa cabbage in a gingery soy broth, the cozy Shanghai dish that’s all comfort.
- 50 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $2.37 a serving
- 700 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- ½ cup water chestnuts, drained
- 3 stalks green onions
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 6 cups napa cabbage, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups chicken broth
From your pantry
- 2½ cups water, divided
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, divided
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp sugar
Each serving has about 700 calories, 29 g protein, 67 g carbs and 34 g fat, and costs about $2.37 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice and bring it with 2¼ cups of the water in a .
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook 15 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the water chestnuts and green onions.
Finely chop. Finely chopping means cutting food into small pieces, a little bigger than minced, about the size of a lentil. Small pieces spread their flavor through the dish and cook quickly.
How you’ll know: Nothing is bigger than a lentil, and the pile looks like confetti rather than paste.
Mix the pork, water chestnuts, green onions, ginger, egg, 1 tbsp of the soy sauce, the sesame oil, 1 tbsp of the cornstarch and the pepper with your hand, stirring in one direction for 1 minute, until sticky.
Dolly’s tip: Stirring one way makes the meat springy, which is what holds these big meatballs together.With wet hands, shape the mixture into 8 big meatballs. Wash your hands.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Heat the oil in a or deep skillet over medium-high. the meatballs about 2 minutes a side, turning gently, until all over.
Dutch oven. A Dutch oven is a heavy pot, usually enameled cast iron, with a tight-fitting lid. It holds heat evenly, so it’s great for soups, stews and anything that simmers a long time.
How you’ll know: Any large, heavy pot with a lid does the same job if you don’t have one.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 8 min
Tuck the cabbage in around the meatballs, pour in the broth, the rest of the soy sauce and the sugar, and .
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low, and 20 minutes, until the cabbage is silky and the middle of a meatball reads 160°F.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 20 min
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Stir the rest of the cornstarch with the last ¼ cup of water, stir it into the broth, and 1 minute, until slightly .
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Serve a couple of meatballs and a pile of cabbage over rice with plenty of the broth.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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