The tender and moist pork meatballs are lined with gooey rice. Enjoyable to prepare dinner and nice tasting!

Once I was a child, each of my dad and mom labored and neither actually had time to prepare dinner sophisticated issues for dinner. So my grandma used to make meat dishes for us, to free my mother from spending time within the kitchen after a protracted, busy day. She would prepare dinner numerous dishes in massive batches, switch them to small bowls to chill, bag and freeze them in meal-sized batches, then go them to my dad and mom each few weeks. She was very happy with her cooking, and for good purpose. Her braised pork ribs, braised pork toes, beef and tendon stew, and lion’s head meatballs had been superb. They tasted a lot better than what you’d get in a restaurant.

Each morning, my mother would take out a ready meat dish to thaw, then reheat it by steaming proper earlier than dinner. On the identical time, she’d prepare dinner some rice within the rice cooker and put together one or two stir fried veggie dishes and a easy soup. The entire dinner normally took 30 to 40 minutes to prepare. Similar to this, I grew up with very satisfying and nutritious meals every single day.

Among the many meat dishes my grandma made, the pearl balls are considered one of my favorites. We additionally name them snow meatballs in my household. They’re principally steamed pork meatballs, lined in sticky rice. The sticky rice is cooked till translucent, as if lined in snow. The meatballs are very tender and juicy, with a wealthy umami from the dried shrimp, toasted sesame oil, and contemporary herbs. The glutinous rice is soaked with meat juice. Wealthy and gooey, we didn’t want any dipping sauce to take pleasure in them.

Relating to making pearl balls, I’m obsessive about taste and persist with the components my grandma used to make use of. That’s the explanation you’ll discover this model has an extended ingredient checklist than every other recipe on the market. The recipe additionally requires pre-soaking the glutinous rice and dried shrimp a day forward, as a substitute of just some hours. I attempted soaking the rice for much less time, however the completed meatballs simply didn’t style proper.

However, I took a shortcut with a view to make the cooking course of much less tedious – I used a meals processor. You may make this dish with out one, however a meals processor will save tons of chopping time and offer you completely constant meatballs.

I’ve connected quite a few cooking notes on the finish of the recipe, so I received’t repeat them right here within the publish. Nonetheless, I do wish to emphasize that you just want a comparatively fatty grind of meat to make the dish work. I attempted utilizing floor turkey, and I received’t say it tasted unhealthy, nevertheless it was a bit off for me. Similar to with a superb sausage, you want 25% to 30% fats content material to make it GOOD.

Hope you benefit from the dish!

In the event you give this recipe a attempt, tell us! Depart a remark, fee it when you’ve tried it, and take an image and tag it #omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d like to see what you provide you with. Cheers, buddies!

The tender and moist pork meatballs are lined with gooey rice. Enjoyable to prepare dinner and nice tasting!

Prepare dinner ModeStop your display from going darkish

Make meatballs

• On the day you intend to make the meatballs, drain glutinous rice and dried shrimp.

• Mix all of the components, besides the water chestnuts and glutinous rice, in a meals processor (*see footnote 3). Pulse just a few occasions. Course of till it kinds a paste. The paste needs to be tender however neither runny nor powerful. In the event you discover the paste too runny and tough to form, you may mix in additional cornstarch. If it’s too dry or powerful, mix in a little bit of water.

• Add water chestnuts. Course of till the water chestnuts are chopped into small bits. Switch the paste to a bowl.

• Add 5 cm (2 inches) water to a steamer and convey it to a boil.

• Put together the paste, the glutinous rice, and an empty plate, all in entrance of you.

• Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of meat paste, form it right into a ball, and roll it within the glutinous rice, till the floor is totally coated with rice. Gently press with hand in order that the rice sticks to it. Place meatball on the plate, leaving 1 cm (1/3 inch) between them. Make the remainder of the meatballs with the identical technique.

• Steam the meatballs for 20 minutes, or till cooked via (*see footnote 4).

• Serve heat as a major. (*see footnote 5)

Retailer and reheat

• Retailer the meatballs in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days, or within the freezer for as much as 3 months.

• One of the simplest ways to reheat the meatballs is by steaming. It’ll preserve the meatballs moist and tender.

• If reheating with microwave, add just a few drops of water into the bowl and canopy it with a plate, to stop the meatballs from drying out.

Ingredient Substitution Information

1. The next fats content material makes the meatballs very juicy and tender. For a good higher style, use a mixture of pork shoulder and pork stomach to get increased fats content material. You’ll be able to coarsely chop the meat then grind it within the meals processor.
2. Soaking for much less time will end in powerful rice and shrimp. You’ll be able to preserve the glutinous rice within the water for as much as a day.
3. In the event you shouldn’t have a meals processor, mince the shrimp, ginger, and inexperienced onion finely. Reduce the water chestnuts into small bits in regards to the dimension of corn kernels. Combine them with the bottom meat in a round movement till it kinds a constant paste.
4. You would possibly have to steam the meatballs in two batches until you’re utilizing two tiers of bamboo steamer, stacked collectively. When you’ve formed the primary batch of meatballs, steam them whereas shaping the second batch.
5. This dish is meant to be served with out sauce. You additionally serve it with sriracha or a dumpling dipping sauce (1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar + 2 teaspoons soy sauce + 1/2 teaspoon sugar + 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil).

Serving: 22g, Energy: 45kcal, Carbohydrates: 5.5g, Protein: 2.2g, Fats: 1.5g, Saturated Fats: 0.5g, Ldl cholesterol: 6mg, Sodium: 66mg, Potassium: 28mg, Vitamin C: 1.7mg, Iron: 0.4mg

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