These lion's head meatballs really are melt-in-your-mouth. Serve this soup as-is or with noodles added to the bowl. Some people think the name comes from their large size, while others believe eating these gives you the strength of a lion, but the actual answer is not quite as mythical. The look of this crinkled-up napa cabbage in the rich broth reminded the inventors of this dish of a lion's mane.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
Instructions
-
1
Pour boiling water over shiitake mushrooms, and let sit until soft enough to slice, about 1 hour.
-
2
Meanwhile, make the meatball mixture: Combine tofu and chestnuts in a large bowl. Add ground pork, green onions, garlic, and ginger. Pour in rice wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, egg, salt, and cayenne. Dust with cornstarch. Mix with a clean hand until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
-
3
Form mixture into 6 large meatballs with wet hands.
-
4
Set an oven rack about 8 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and oil lightly. Place meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
-
5
Broil in the preheated oven until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while prepping the pot.
-
6
For the cooking liquid: Trim off the bottom of the head of cabbage and slice 1/2 of the head. Arrange sliced cabbage on the bottom of a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Arrange remaining cabbage leaves on top. Slice and scatter mushrooms on top of cabbage; reserve shiitake liquid. Nestle meatballs into cabbage leaves and pour juices over.
-
7
Strain reserved shiitake liquid into a bowl. Add chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil. Whisk until dissolved. Add to the pot, pouring over each meatball. Bring to a boil over high heat.
-
8
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high. Continue cooking, basting meatballs often, until liquid reduces slightly and meatballs are no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
-
9
Ladle into serving bowls and arrange cabbage over meatballs. Top with green onions and chili oil.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving
Want to cook this?
Open in the PantryLink app to scale servings, check your pantry stock, and generate a shopping list.
Sign In to Save Recipe Create Free AccountPrefer a printed copy? Use our print-friendly view with adjustable servings and font size.
Open Print ViewMore Unknown Recipes
Extra Work Peanut Butter Fudge
This extra work peanut butter fudge takes constant vigilance, but it is worth the effort. It's a rich, creamy, genuine recipe, without marshmallow cream or brown sugar. To make other flavors, replace peanut butter with white chocolate chips and any flavor extract of your choice.
French Spring Soup
I make this during asparagus season when my husband's patch is producing a lot. It is very fresh tasting, and the longer it sits, the better it is.
Marranitos (Mexican Pig-Shaped Cookies)
Marranitos (or cochinos, or puerquitos, as are they are called in some Mexican-American communities) are often called Gingerbread Pigs, although they don't actually have ginger in them. The flavor comes from the molasses. This recipe is a trans-pecos region variation which uses the non-traditional addition of cinnamon.