Taiwanese🍚 Starches

Tofu & Rice Lion's Head Meatballs

Name: Tofu & Rice Lion's Head Meatballs
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Taiwanese
Ingredients: ~600 g ground pork; ~4-5 scallion; ~300 g firm tofu; ~1½ cups cooked rice; 3-4 tbsp ginger; ~3 tbsp rice cooking wine; ~2 tbsp soy sauce; ~½ tsp white pepper powder; ~1 tsp green Sichuan peppercorn; to taste salt; ~½ tsp sugar; ~1 egg; ~3 tbsp breadcrumbs; ~¼ cups water; ~500 g napa cabbage; ~4 cups cooking oil

⏱ 60 min

A festive Lunar New Year dish that upgrades the classic lion's head meatball by adding tofu and cooked rice, making the meatballs extra soft, moist and tender. Pan-frying some pork first to build a fragrant broth base adds extra depth, and the fried meatballs are then simmered together with cabbage for a rich, comforting soup.

Adapted from a video by 詹姆士官方專屬頻道

【必備年菜】豆腐獅子頭｜加入一個秘密武器讓獅子頭更加鬆軟綿密！ft.Culligan 康麗根聲控小康 [詹姆士]

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

ground porkused in two portions: one browned for broth, the rest mixed into the meatballs~600 gest.
scallionwhite parts browned for the broth; green parts minced into the filling and for garnish~4-5est.
firm tofu~300 gest.
cooked rice~1½ cupsest.
gingerminced or grated; use more than you'd expect3-4 tbsp
rice cooking wine~3 tbspest.
soy saucea small amount for aroma, don't darken the broth too much~2 tbspest.
white pepper powder

Steps

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1
Cut the scallion whites into segments and mince the scallion greens; set the greens aside for garnish.
2
Heat the pan, sauté the scallion whites to release scallion oil, then add a portion of the ground pork. Season with salt and cook until the raw pork smell disappears and the released juices turn clear.
3
Deglaze with rice wine to remove any remaining smell, add a touch of soy sauce for aroma, then season with white pepper and green Sichuan peppercorns, and let this reduce into a flavorful broth.
4
Once the broth comes to a boil, strain out the cooked pork bits — these will later be mixed into the raw meat filling — and reserve the broth.
5
In a large bowl combine the remaining raw ground pork, the cooked pork bits, rice, and tofu. Mix roughly first, making sure the tofu is broken down evenly with no visible chunks.
6
Add the minced ginger and scallion greens, and continue mixing well.
7
Gradually beat in a little water, stirring the mixture in one consistent direction until it develops a slightly fluffy, sticky texture.
8
Beat in an egg to help bind the mixture, then add breadcrumbs (or substitute cornstarch or flour) for texture.
9
Season the mixture with salt, sugar, white pepper, a bit of Sichuan pepper powder, and a splash of the reserved broth, mixing thoroughly.
10
Shape the mixture into meatball 'lion's heads' and deep-fry until golden brown on the surface, then remove.
11
Line the bottom of a pot with napa cabbage, then arrange the fried meatballs on top — no need to be neat about it.
12
Pour the reserved broth over everything, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, until the meatballs are tender enough to fall apart with a light touch of chopsticks.
13
Garnish with the reserved scallion greens before serving. The dish tastes even better reheated the next day, and the broth pairs wonderfully with glass noodles.

Tofu & Rice Lion's Head Meatballs

Ingredients

Steps

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