

Lion’s Head Meatballs is a dish from Huaiyang cuisine. The giant meatballs are said to represent a lion’s head and the shredded cabbage represents its’ mane. This dish is perfect to celebrate Chinese New Year.
The oversized meatballs are traditionally served on a platter and diners scoop off a portion of the meatball along with some sauce and cabbage. To celebrate Chinese New Year this is a fun way to serve this recipe but for everyday, I divide the meat mixture into six meatballs making it a bit easier to cook and serve.
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Some people still love cookbooks and I’m one of them. Sure, I Google recipes all the time but I have several shelves of cookbooks and the one that inspired my love of Asian and Asian Fusion cooking is Hugh Carpenter’s Pacific Flavors. Years ago I attended one of his cooking classes and when he signed my book he recommended the Lion’s Head Meatballs. Of course I went home and made them since no long list of ingredients deters me. This is my gluten free adaptation from his book and I am grateful for his suggestion. I think that you’ll agree it is worth the effort once you taste it.
To cook and enjoy a variety of interesting meals you need a well-stocked pantry. Then you need at least a few favourite recipes to use the different ingredients. If you’re just setting up your pantry check out this post, gluten free Asian pantry. If you need more convincing to add to your pantry here are a few ways I use these ingredients.
Canned foods in the pantry can be a life saver too. They sometimes remind me to make a dish or stretch it a bit when I’m short on fresh veggies. I like to keep a can of water chestnuts in the back of my cupboard for this recipe. They add a nice crunch and unique taste to the meatballs but then you’re got to use them up. I most often throw them into any stir fry but you can freeze them too.
Chinese New Year only comes once a year but you can make this dish anytime. Let me know in the comments below if you tried this recipe and did it with the giant lion’s head meatballs.
1 lb ground pork |
6 dried black Chinese mushrooms (shiitake) |
3 green onions, finely chopped |
6 water chestnuts, finely chopped |
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped |
1 Tbsp finely minced ginger |
1 Tbsp cornstarch (plus more for dusting meatballs) |
2 Tbsp dry sherry |
1 Tbsp GF soy sauce |
1 Tbsp GF oyster sauce |
½ tsp sugar |
¼ tsp pepper |
CABBAGE & COOKING |
4 Tbsp vegetable oil |
6 cups shredded green cabbage |
SAUCE |
1½ cups GF chicken stock |
¼ cup dry sherry |
2 Tbsp GF oyster sauce |
1 Tbsp GF soy sauce |
1 tsp sesame oil |
½ tsp sugar |
¼ tsp pepper |
FINISHING - 2 Tbsp cornstarch & 2 Tbsp water |
Ingredients |
Directions |
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