PO-PO'S MEATBALLS

PO-PO'S MEATBALLS image

Categories Pork

Yield 6 30

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 lbs ground pork
1 cup panko breadcrumbs, optional
4 tbsp plus 1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 egg
1/2 cup water
2 tbs. Shaoxing rice wine
1 package preserved mustard greens
1-2 inch piece ginger, sliced
2 tsp sugar (use rock sugar or regular sugar)

Steps:

Combine first 8 ingredients (except additional 1 tbsp soy sauce) in mixing bowl and mix well with hands. Add vegetable oil to frying pan, about 1 inch deep. Heat until almost smoking. (Note: consider cooking meatballs directly in Dutch oven instead of using a separate frying pan.) Form meatballs, about the size of a golf ball. (Note: use a small bowl of water to keep hands moist. Reserve water to add to pot later.) Place in hot oil. Cook until golden brown on both sides. (Note: meatballs do not need to be cooked all the way through. Meatballs can be medium rare, with some soft give when you squeeze them.) If using frying pan, pour off oil, reserving brown bits. If using Dutch oven, pour off oil and keep browned bits in the pot. Rinse and squeeze out preserved vegetable. Chop roughly. Place preserved vegetable in the bottom of Dutch oven. Add browned bits from frying pan, if using. Place meatballs on top. Add ginger and sugar to pot. Pour reserved water over meatballs, plus an additional 1/2 cup or so. (Note: recipe can be prepared a couple of hours ahead until this point.) Add 1 tbsp soy sauce. Heat water to boil and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Taste for sugar and add more if necessary. Additional Notes: If halving the recipe, still use 1 egg. If omitting bread crumbs, use less water. When mixing, meatball mixture should approximate the texture of the meatballs - add more water if needed to make it moist.