Home
Recipes
Shanghainese quickbraise Hong Sao-style Lion’s Head meatballs

Serving plate of meatballs in a red sauce next to a bowl of greens

Shanghainese quickbraise Hong Sao-style Lion’s Head meatballs

Name: Shanghainese quickbraise Hong Sao-style Lion’s Head meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 500g minced pork (60% lean, 40% pork belly); 4 garlic cloves finely chopped; 2 tbsp ginger grated; 2 spring onions finely chopped; pinch of ground white pepper; 50ml Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil; 1 egg beaten; 4 tbsp cornflour; 100ml rapeseed oil; 2½cm piece ginger cut into coins; 500ml vegetable stock; 2 tbsp dark soy sauce; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 3 tbsp caster sugar; 1 star anise; 1 cinnamon stick; steamed long-stem broccoli

Ching-He Huang

Save recipe

Serves 4 - 6

Easy

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 15 mins

A star rating of 5 out of 5.4 ratingsRate

loading...

Hong Sao-style Lion’s Head meatballs bring luck and strength with their red-braised sauce and round shape, symbolising a ‘well-rounded’ year ahead

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Cashew chicken

A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.18 ratings

Chow mein

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.181 ratings

Barbecue pork buns

A star rating of 4.9 out of 5.14 ratings

Not traditionally a Lunar New Year food, but the roundness of the meatballs can be symbolic for a ‘well-rounded’ year. The reddish Hong Sao (red-braised Chinese sauce) oozes the lucky red symbolism. My grandmother used to say that eating Lion’s Head meatballs will make us as strong as lions, a personal family favourite saying. The traditional Shanghainese meatballs are quite large, as big as a fist, but you can make smaller ones, if you like. You can also pre-cook and freeze the meatballs, just give them a quick braise in the red sauce before serving.

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

For the meatballs

500g minced pork (60% lean, 40% pork belly)
4 garlic cloves

finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger

grated
2 spring onions

finely chopped
pinch of ground white pepper
50ml Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 egg

beaten
4 tbsp cornflour
100ml rapeseed oil

For the red braising sauce

2½cm piece ginger

cut into coins
500ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick

To serve

steamed long-stem broccoli

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: (6)

kcal392
fat24g
saturates5g
carbs24g
sugars14g
fibre1g
protein19g
salt3.62g

Method

step 1

Put all the ingredients for the meatballs, except the oil, into a large bowl with ½ tsp salt and stir to combine well. Divide the mixture into 6, then using slightly wet hands, roll each piece into a round ball. Set on a plate.
step 2

Pour the rapeseed oil into a large wok or pan and heat over medium-high heat. Carefully add the meatballs into the oil and brown all over until golden, carefully turning throughout. Cook for 5-7 mins (they do not need to be cooked through at this point). Lift the meatballs out and set aside.
step 3

Pour the oil into a heatproof jug, leaving 1 tbsp in the pan. Return the pan to the heat and add the ginger coins. Stir-fry until brown at the edges, using a spoon to scrape any flavour from the bottom of the pan. Pour in the stock, both soy sauces, sugar, star anise and cinnamon stick along with 100ml water. Cook on medium heat for 15 mins, reducing the liquid by about half.
step 4

Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook, covered, for a further 5-8 mins. Gently coat the meatballs in the sauce, ensuring they are well coated but do not fall apart. Transfer the meatballs to a platter and pour over the sauce (you can leave the star anise and cinnamon on the plate as a garnish). Serve with steamed long-stem broccoli.

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

A star rating of 5 out of 5.4 ratings

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.

Subscribe now