Braised Pork Balls
The Braised Pork Balls is a signature dish of Jiangsu cuisine. Essentially a large pork meatball, it is first deep-fried then braised. Glossy reddish-brown in color, it boasts tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture and symbolizes reunion and completeness.
Difficulty
Medium
Prep Time
10min
Cook Time
10min
Medium · Heritage Classics
Method
Prepare the meat mixture (Most crucial step!)
- Dice the pork into small chunks and place in a large bowl. Add diced water chestnuts, egg, salt, sugar, white pepper, cooking wine and cornstarch.
- Stir consistently in one direction. Add the scallion-ginger water in 3 separate portions; wait until each portion is fully absorbed before adding the next.
- Keep stirring until the mixture becomes sticky and elastic. Pick up the meat paste and slam it firmly against the bowl repeatedly 20 to 30 times to expel air. This prevents the meatballs from falling apart.
Shape the meatballs
Wet your hands to avoid sticking. Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal portions. Toss and roll the portions between your palms to form large, smooth round meatballs (roughly 140–160 g each).
Optional: Wrap a salted egg yolk inside each meatball to make salted egg yolk lion’s heads.
Set the shape (Two methods)
Light pan-frying (Recommended for home cooking, less oil) Heat a small amount of oil in the pan. Place the meatballs over low heat and pan-fry all sides until golden and set. Remove for later use; there is no need to cook them through.
Deep-frying (Traditional method) Lower the meatballs into oil heated to medium-low temperature. Deep-fry over medium heat until the surface turns golden, then take out. Do not fry for too long, or the inside meat will turn tough.
Braise in brown sauce
- Leave a little base oil in the pan. Add scallions, ginger slices, star anise, bay leaf and rock sugar. Sauté over low heat to release the aroma.
- Pour in plenty of boiling water, stir in light soy sauce and dark soy sauce.
- Put in the lion’s heads. Add enough liquid to nearly cover the meatballs. Bring to a rolling boil, then turn to the lowest heat, cover and simmer for 40–60 minutes.
Cooking in a clay pot yields better texture. Line the pot bottom with cabbage leaves to stop the meatballs from sticking.
Reduce sauce and serve
- Bring another pot of water to boil, add salt and a dash of oil. Blanch baby bok choy and arrange on the serving plate.
- Transfer the lion’s heads onto the greens. Fish out all spice residues from the braising liquid, then turn to high heat and simmer until the sauce thickens and glistens.
- Pour the thickened sauce over the meatballs, garnish with chopped scallions, and serve.
Chef's notebook
Chef's Tips
The 3:7 fat-to-lean ratio is non-negotiable：
The 3:7 fat-to-lean ratio is non-negotiable. All-lean meat results in dry, tough meatballs; too much fat makes them greasy.
chunky texture：
Keep the pork chunky. Do not grind it into a smooth paste. Authentic lion’s head meatballs are prized for their tender texture with visible meat grains.
stir and slam：
Always stir in one direction and slam the meat to build elasticity. Otherwise, the meatballs may crack and fall apart during braising.
simmer with hot water：
Only use boiling hot water for simmering! Cold water will tighten the meat and make it tough.
simmer slowly over low heat：
Simmer gently over low heat the whole time. Vigorous boiling over high heat can easily break the lion’s heads apart.
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