LIONHEAD MEATBALL SOUP

Lionhead meatball soup image

Enjoy these Shanghai-style mini 'lionhead' meatballs in a rich, earthy and sweet broth made with Chinese leaf and dried shiitake mushrooms

Provided by Ching-He Huang

Categories Dinner

Time 40m

Yield Serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 20

Ingredients

100ml groundnut oil, for frying
500g lean pork mince
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tbsp grated ginger
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 pinch of ground white pepper
50ml shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp cornflour
500ml vegetable stock
5 dried Chinese mushrooms slices
200g Chinese leaf, washed, quartered lengthways from leaf to stem
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 pinch of ground white pepper
1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp water
2 large spring onions, washed, trimmed and sliced, to serve

Steps:

Put all the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl and stir to combine well. Using wetted hands, take a golf ball-sized mound and roll into a round shape. Put on a plate and repeat to make 12.
Pour the groundnut oil into a large wok or pan and set over high heat until a thermometer reads 160C. Put a meatball onto a slotted spoon and gently lower into the oil. Leave to brown for 5-7 mins until golden, then cook all the meatballs. To check if a meatball is cooked, push a skewer through and, if it comes out clean, it's cooked. Lift the meatballs out, then drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside.
Add 1 tbsp of the hot oil to a clean wok. Put over a high heat, add the vegetable stock, 850ml water, the mushrooms and Chinese leaf, and cook over a medium heat for 10-12 mins. Add the meatballs and cook for a further 4-5 mins, adjusting the cabbage leaves so they wrap around each meatball - the meatball resembles the 'lion's head' and the cabbage resembles the 'mane'. Season with sesame oil, salt and ground white pepper. To thicken the soup, add 1 tbsp of the cornflour mixture when the broth is boiling. Then turn the heat to low and garnish with the sliced spring onions.
Ladle a portion into soup bowls, spoon a meatball and with some Chinese leaf and sliced mushrooms, and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 459 calories, Fat 32 grams fat, SaturatedFat 8 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 14 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 5 grams sugar, Fiber 2 grams fiber, Protein 28 grams protein, Sodium 3.3 milligram of sodium