{"id":12298,"date":"2020-11-06T13:45:04","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T13:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redhousespice.com\/?p=12298"},"modified":"2022-06-09T12:08:19","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T12:08:19","slug":"lions-head-meatballs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redhousespice.com\/lions-head-meatballs\/","title":{"rendered":"Lion\u2019s Head Meatballs (Shi Zi Tou, \u72ee\u5b50\u5934)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lion’s head meatballs stands out for its impressive size, tender texture and aromatic taste. Follow my recipe (with a video) to make it to a restaurant standard.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are lion’s head meatballs<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Chinese name for this dish is simply Lion’s Head (Shī Zī Toú\/狮子头<\/em>) without mentioning meatballs. You might be wondering why it’s given such an unusual name. According to Chinese food historian and cookbook author Yan-kit So, when the dish is served, the meatball, which is the size of a tennis ball, resembles a lion’s head, and the cabbage its mane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A signature dish of Huaiyang cuisine<\/a> (淮扬菜), lion’s head meatballs routinely appear at banquet-style meals. Despite its high culinary status, it’s easy to make it in home kitchens. You don’t need sophisticated skills to make it to a high standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few popular ways to cook\/present this dish. The meatballs can be either deep-fried, steamed or cooked in water (same as the method I introduced in the post for Winter Melon & Meatball Soup<\/a>). You’d see them served either in a clear broth with Napa cabbage or with a soy sauce-based thick sauce. For today’s recipe, I’ve chosen to combine deep-fried meatballs with Napa cabbage and a mushroom-flavoured clear soup. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Summary of the cooking process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I break down the cooking procedure into three parts. Before we get into the detailed cooking tips, let’s first have a look at what to expect at each step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Prepare a tasty meatball mixture that’s well seasoned and stirred to a sticky, jiggly texture. This will result in tender, moist meatballs in the finished dish.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Divided the mixture into equal portions. Use the aide of a small bowl to shape one portion into a ball then deep fry until golden. Repeat the procedure to finish the rest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Use the water in which dried shiitake mushroom is rehydrated to simmer the fried meatballs, Napa cabbage, mushroom, etc. with light seasonings.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Prepare a moist meatball mixture<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    For lion’s head meatballs, preparing a good minced meat mixture is the key to success. It has to be well-seasoned, tender, moist yet holds in shape very well. Read on to learn the tips and tricks!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    What goes into the mixture?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n