Celebrate Chinese New Year with classic dishes, like pork mince balls with shredded cabbage.
Ingredients
- 750g pork mince
- 3 shallots, trimmed, thinly sliced
- 1 egg white, lightly whisked
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons caster sugar
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 1 baby wombok (Chinese cabbage), outer leaves removed
- 500ml (2 cups) Massel chicken style liquid stock
- 3cm-piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Steamed rice, to serve
Method
- Step 1Combine the mince, shallot, egg white, light soy sauce, sugar and 1 tablespoon of sherry in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into 6 balls. Transfer to a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
- Step 2Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Spread cornflour over a plate. Gently toss meatballs in the cornflour. Add to pan. Cook, turning occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Step 3Preheat oven to 160°C. Reserve 6 leaves from the wombok. Shred remaining wombok. Spread the shredded wombok over the base of an ovenproof casserole dish. Place 1 meatball on 1 reserved wombok leaf and transfer to the dish. Repeat with remaining reserved wombok and meatballs. Add the stock, ginger, remaining sherry and soy sauce. Cover and cook for 11/2 hours or until the meatballs are very tender. Serve with rice.
- High protein
- Low carb
- Low kilojoule
- Low sugar
Nutrition
1222 kj
Energy
15g
Fat Total
5g
Saturated Fat
2g
Fibre
29g
Protein
68mg
Cholesterol
1048.45mg
Sodium
2g
Carbs (sugar)
6g
Carbs (total)
Notes
Cook’s tips: This dish is traditionally cooked in a lidded clay pot, which you can buy from Asian food stores. The steam that circulates during cooking keeps the food moist and gives it a rich flavour. Here are some tips for using one. To avoid it cracking, soak the pot and its lid in cold water for about 30 minutes before using. When ready to cook, put the clay pot into a cold oven and slowly bring to the correct temperature. To clean, just soak in warm soapy water, then rinse and dry.
In Chinese culture, lion’s head meatballs symbolise the head of a lion, while the shredded cabbage is its mane.
- Author: Alison Adams
- Image credit: Brett Stevens
- Publication: Australian Good Taste