These lion's head meatballs really are melt-in-your-mouth. Serve this soup as-is or with noodles added to the bowl. 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 in the rich broth reminded the inventors of this dish of a lion's mane.
Ingredients
- ½ cups boiling water: 1 piece
- shiitake mushrooms: 1 oz (dried)
- firm tofu, chopped into small bits: 1 container (8 ounce container)
- canned water chestnuts: 0.25 cup (minced)
- fatty ground pork (at least 20% fat): 1 pound
- finely sliced green onions (white and light green parts only): 0.25 cup
- garlic, finely: 4 clove (minced)
- ½ teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger: 1 piece
- Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry (see Note): 2 Tbsp
- soy sauce: 1 Tbsp
- brown sugar: 1 Tbsp (optional)
- egg: 1 piece
- kosher salt: 2 tsp
- cayenne pepper: 0.25 tsp
- ½ teaspoons cornstarch: 1 piece
- head napa cabbage: 1 piece
- chicken broth: 2 cups
- soy sauce: 2 Tbsp
- sherry wine or rice wine: 2 Tbsp
- brown sugar: 1 Tbsp (optional)
- ½ teaspoons cornstarch: 1 piece
- sesame oil: 0.5 tsp (to taste)
- green onion tops: 0.25 cup (sliced)
- hot chili oil: 2 Tbsp
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Pour boiling water over shiitake mushrooms, and let sit until soft enough to slice, about 1 hour.
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Meanwhile, make the meatball mixture: Combine tofu and chestnuts in a large bowl. Add ground pork, green onions, garlic, and ginger. Pour in rice wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, egg, salt, and cayenne. Dust with cornstarch. Mix with a clean hand until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
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Form mixture into 6 large meatballs with wet hands.
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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.
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Broil in the preheated oven until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while prepping the pot.
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For the cooking liquid: 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 remaining cabbage leaves on top. Slice and scatter mushrooms on top of cabbage; reserve shiitake liquid. Nestle meatballs into cabbage leaves and pour juices over.
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Strain reserved shiitake liquid into a bowl. Add chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil. Whisk until dissolved. Add to the pot, pouring over each meatball. Bring to a boil over high heat.
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Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high. Continue cooking, basting meatballs often, until liquid reduces slightly and meatballs are no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
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Ladle into serving bowls and arrange cabbage over meatballs. Top with green onions and chili oil. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
