LION'S HEAD MEATBALLS

Lion's Head Meatballs image

People throw out the term "melt-in-your-mouth" pretty casually, but these meatballs really are. Some people think the name comes from their large size, while others believe eating these gives you the strength of a lion, but the actual answer is not quite as mythical. The look of this crinkled-up napa cabbage reminded the inventors of this dish of a lion's mane.

Provided by Chef John

Categories World Cuisine Recipes Asian Chinese

Time 2h15m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 24

Ingredients

1 ½ cups boiling water
1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
¼ cup minced canned water chestnuts
1 (8 ounce) container firm tofu, chopped into small bits
1 pound fatty ground pork (at least 20% fat)
¼ cup finely sliced green onions (white and light green parts only)
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry (see Note)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 small head napa cabbage
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sherry wine
½ teaspoon sesame oil, or to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
¼ cup sliced green onion tops
2 tablespoons hot chili oil

Steps:

Pour boiling water over shiitake mushrooms, and let sit until soft enough to slice, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, combine chestnuts and tofu in a large bowl. Add ground pork, green onions, garlic, and ginger. Pour in rice wine, soy sauce, salt, cayenne, brown sugar, and egg. Dust with cornstarch. Mix with a clean hand until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Form mixture into 6 large meatballs with wet hands.
Set an oven rack about 8 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and oil lightly. Place meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
Broil in the preheated oven until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while prepping the pot.
Trim off the bottom of the head of cabbage and slice 1/2 of the head. Arrange sliced cabbage on the bottom of a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Arrange the remaining leaves on the top. Slice and scatter the mushrooms on top of the cabbage; reserve shiitake liquid. Nestle the meatballs into the cabbage leaves and pour juices over.
Strain reserved shiitake liquid into a bowl. Add chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk until dissolved. Add to the pot, pouring over each meatball. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and raise heat to medium-high. Continue cooking, basting the meatballs often, until liquid reduces slightly and meatballs are no longer pink in the centers, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
Ladle into serving bowls and arrange cabbage over the meatballs. Top with green onions and chili oil.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 315.4 calories, Carbohydrate 18.5 g, Cholesterol 82.1 mg, Fat 18.1 g, Fiber 2.6 g, Protein 20.6 g, SaturatedFat 5.2 g, Sodium 1607.8 mg, Sugar 7.4 g