Lion’s Head

Name: Lion’s Head
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: Coarse salt; 1 cup short-grain white rice; Vegetable oil, for drizzling and frying; 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and finely chopped; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 pounds ground pork; 1/3 cup tamari (dark aged soy sauce found on the international aisle), plus more for serving; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper; 1 cup chicken stock or broth; 1 medium to large head of Napa cabbage, cut into large dice

December 9, 2011

The wonderful actress Ming Na taught me this recipe. It was handed down to her from her parents, who owned a successful Chinese restaurant for twenty-five years. It’s not fair! Ming Na is gorgeous and talented and she can cook, too! But, we can console ourselves with these Chinese meatballs. The chopped cabbage is served in a pile, the meatballs in the middle: a head surrounded by a mane . . . a lion’s head. Ming uses mushroom-flavored thick soy sauce. I cannot find that product where I live, so I use finely chopped shiitakes and aged soy sauce.

Recipe notes

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