Lion’s Head Big Macs

This dish will probably make my ancestors pass out, but I just couldn’t help myself. Lion’s head meatballs are an iconic dish originating in eastern China that has since spread to all parts of China and Taiwan. Large pork meatballs traditionally stewed or steamed in a casserole dish; they absorb the flavors of their own juices and the surrounding napa cabbage like a sponge. I grew up eating lion’s head meatballs with rice, but as a kid with a vast imagination and a craving for McDonald’s, I always noted the meatballs’ similarity to the burger patties in my beloved Big Macs. This recipe is a dream-turned-reality for kid Frankie, a dish that probably shouldn’t exist outside of my own brain but has become a love note to the suburban Midwest seen through the lens of my heritage—a dish that embraces the two parts of my identity that I hid from each other. Divided no more, here they are brought together on one plate in the form of Lion’s Head Big Macs.

This recipe was excerpted from 'First Generation' by Frankie Gaw. Buy the full book on Amazon. This book was selected as one of the best cookbooks of 2022.