One Perfect Bite: water chestnuts

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Lion's Head Meatballs for Chinese New Year

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The Silver Fox and I use the 15 days of Spring Festival to enjoy some of our favorite Chinese dishes. Over the years, I've collected a huge number of recipes for Asian food, particularly Chinese. These meatballs are a personal favorite of mine, and I always make them during the holiday, as much for their symbolism as their wonderful flavor. There is discussion, sometimes contentious, about the origins of this dish. I favor Shanghai, but the beautiful city of Yangzhou is also a contender. Children love this dish and it's whimsy. For some, the four large meatballs represent the cardinal points of north, south, east and west. For others, they represent the blessings of felicity, prosperity, longevity and happiness. The meatballs are braised with a mild Asian cabbage in a delicious brown sauce. The finished meatballs, festooned with shreds of cabbage, do resemble a lion's head. When there are no children at the table, I opt for smaller meatballs. There are hundreds of recipes for Lion's Head; this version is based on one developed by Jacki Passmore. If you do not eat pork, or abstain from meat, you might like to try this recipe using a product called Gimmee Lean. In Shanghai these meatballs are served as an appetizer. They're also great for church suppers and other potlucks.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Asian Meatballs with Sesame Lime Dipping Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Now that school is back in session, I thought it would be nice to find some new dishes for weeknight meals. When I began my search, I knew any recipe I selected had to be easy to make. I was also looking for entrees that were new or uncommon variations of dishes my family already enjoyed. My gang loves meatballs and when I saw this Asian riff, I knew I had to give it a try. The meatballs met all my criteria and once the ingredients were assembled, it took about 40 minutes to get them on the table. Clean-up is easy because the meatballs are baked rather than fried and their mildly Asian flavors should appeal to all but the youngest members of your family. I like to serve these with a rice noodle salad, but a plain steamed rice will also work well. I'll post the recipe for the salad tomorrow. I think those of you who try the meatballs will enjoy them. They are easy to make if you keep your hands moist as you shape them. The recipe can be doubled or tripled and that makes it a great candidate for a covered dish supper. Here's how the meatballs are made.

Asian Meatballs with Sesame Lime Dipping Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground beef or veal
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup canned sliced water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro + 1/4 cup sprigs
5 tablespoons soy sauce, divided use
4 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, divided use
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons sugar
Suggested accompaniment: steamed white rice or rice noodle salad

Directions:
1) Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
2) Pour milk over bread crumbs in a large bowl and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add ground meat, egg, water chestnuts, salt, chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 3 tablespoons meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish. Make more meatballs with remaining mixture, arranging meatballs about 1/2 inch apart in baking dish. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, stir together lime juice, water, sugar, remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a bowl until sugar is dissolved.
4) Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 tablespoon sauce and sprinkle with cilantro sprigs. Serve meatballs with remaining sauce. Yield: 4 servings.