Shanghainese Lion's Head Meatballs

My mother's side of the family was from Shanghai and I love that I can make lions head at home now. This is a very forgiving recipe that captures what I love about comforting, savory sweet, Shanghainese cuisine but requires much less time and prep and, is much healthier and 'cleaner' to include in a weeknight dinner rotation. I've made this several times and recently used Napa cabbage for the steamed greens and, green garlic and sweet maui onions for the meat mixture and it's my favorite combination so far yielding a subtle, sweet delicate flavor and texture. If you're just making this for yourself and don't need to replicate nostalgic flavors for your Shanghainese mother or mother in law (which is a feat that few dare try), then precook small amounts of the meat to test for taste and texture and adjust according to your palette. My preference is go a bit less sweet (just 2 tbsp sugar) but to add a heavy dash of white pepper (2 tsp) and a bit more sesame oil (2 tbsp) to make it taste more Shanghainese. I also add a few drops of Maggi Sauce for a subtle bit of umami (a very small amount of fish sauce could work as well). I use 3 eggs for a looser consistency. I do a shallow scoop of the meatballs so they are not like round balls, but more like lumpy half moons that turn into patties in the pan so everything cooks faster (and because I don't like the texture of large dense large meatballs). For cooking and steaming, I have a workflow where I juggle both simultaneously (so I can get to eating faster!). First time, I ended up scorching my greens in the steam pot because there was not enough liquid. So now, I use a wide and deep enameled cast iron skillet and put 2-3 layers of Napa cabbage leaves (cut in half with stalks on the bottom as they take longer to cook and leaves on top). I fill the pan with homemade chicken broth (about 1/2" high from bottom of pan) and set it on a low simmer covered. (the broth not only prevents burning and aids the steaming process, but it's a flavorful 'jus' to add to your meatballs and Napa as you serve it with rice) As I'm browning the meatballs (my wok is small so I do 3 at a time at 2-3 min each side, 5 min total), I start putting finished batches in the skillet and let them steam covered while I finish browning the rest. Every time I add a batch of meatballs in to steam, I check liquid level (adding some hot water if it's too low), adjust temperature if needed (to ensure a low simmer with enough steam but not too high or it will burn), and add in more cabbage leaves (as they cook down.). By the time I'm done browning the last batch, the first few are ready to eat and the rest just need a few more minutes to steam undisturbed. Just make sure you transfer the meat balls in an order you can remember so you know which ones are ready to eat first. This version of the recipe yielded about 18 meatballs. About, 3 per serving, plus some Napa cabbage and rice for a medium eater and lots of leftovers!

I served these to discerning guest who raved about them, said they'd never had meatballs like these and they both went back for seconds. Delicious.

Made these for the second time (meatballs only). Both we and our guest loved them! I subbed ground beef for pork, and flour for the cornstarch (didn't have the latter on hand). After forming, I refrigerated for about 35-40 minutes to firm up a little and make it easier to handle. Scrumptious and so tender! We have leftovers--Yay!

Love the steaming technique with bok choy. I have made these meatballs with ground turkey as well. My household likes Shanghai bok choy- similar to regular, but with green stems.

One of my favorite food52 recipes, make it at least once a month. So flavorful! We double the amt of bok choy!

This is a super “ Go To” recipe in our household! We love the “homey” taste of an authentic Chinese kitchen that these patties bring to the table. We are 4 generations Chinese family who loves eating together. These Lion heads are spot on! Thank you so much for sharing!

Made it, loved it! I had a handful of fresh shiitakes I needed to use so I minced them added them to the meatballs, otherwise didn’t modify. I like the sweetness but might cut it a tiny bit next time. Regardless, this was fun to cook and delicious with brown rice!

These turned out great! I used ground chicken and extra soy and sesame oil like suggested for more savory result. Also 2 eggs.

This recipe is perfect! Has anyone made the mixture up ahead of time, refrigerated for a few hours, and then fried and steamed later? I don’t see why this wouldn’t work but I am not sure how the eggs/cornstarch would hold up...

tried it, loved it, made modifications, shouldn't have.

the sugar is an integral part of this dish. I wouldn't cut it in half next time, but instead use 3/4 or 5/6s of it. the sweetness SEEMS wrong, but after getting a taste of legit Shanghainese food, I now crave it.

One of my go to’s! I also cut the sugar in half, but when making with pork follow the rest of the recipe to a t. For a lighter version I do ground turkey, 2 eggs, and a sprinkle of panko breadcrumbs instead of cornstarch. Always serve over coconut rice!

I cut the sugar in half and these things were perfect! I had only two eggs and they still came out very soft - great texture. Their softness actually meant that they flattened a fair amount when frying, but they still taste great. I'm usually just cooking for myself or me and my roommate, and so I used half of these for one meal, then froze the second half after only browning and we had them later in the week - GREAT option for a frozen dinner to whip out when you don't want to cook.

Delicious, but much too sweet for our palate (this includes my six-year-old). Next time I will cut the sugar in half. Otherwise totally yummy!

Made this dish to the T. My husband enjoyed it but I found it to be too sweet for my taste. I will cut down the sugar next time. Also will try adding some waterchest nuts to give texture.

I've had this sitting in my "to try" list for so long and finally got around to it last night. Normally I wouldn't even leave a comment, but this recipe was so perfect and delicious, I can't stop talking about it. One of the best recipes I've come across. Thank you!

I would eat this for sure! Looks delicious!

Made this this weekend and followed recipe as-is. Really enjoyed this, it was very easy to throw together as I had mostly everything already in my pantry. Definitely used a fork to mix together as it is pretty messy so my meatballs were more fatty patties but no matter, tasted great! Only thing I might do next time is add some heat! Fantastic weeknight meal that won't keep you in the kitchen for hours. Would make again.

First time commenting here. This meal was outstanding! Followed directions as written, but added diced water chestnuts to pork mixture. I wore plastic gloves while mixing and shaping meatballs and lined my Staub with some Savoy cabbage under bok choy and meatballs. My meatballs were on the I large size and all was done in 35 min. I can't speak highly enough as to how delicious this was. One of the best things I've had ! Will definitely be making these often...do try them.

I cut the sugar from 3 tablespoons to just a pinch (not because I thought it would taste bad that way, but for health reasons), and used 1/2 teaspoon of salt. They were still very tasty, and I encourage anyone who has diabetes or other health concerns to give them a try- the ingredients work so well together that you won't miss any sweetness. For what it's worth, I also used 2 eggs because my family tends to buy large eggs. Thank you Cynthia for posting!

For those who have issues with the number of eggs,: Eggs in China tend to be smaller than eggs in the US. Try two typical American eggs.

Shanghainese food tends to be sweeter than what many Westerners associate with American-Chinese food.

Great recipe!!