Lion's head meatballs
狮子头
Huaiyang lion's head: large, soft pork meatballs braised gently in stock under a blanket of napa cabbage until they are tender enough to eat with a spoon.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 狮子头.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 5 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 2 hr 55 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Lion's heads are big meatballs, the size of a small orange, made from hand-chopped fatty pork with water chestnut and ginger-and-spring-onion water. In Yangzhou they are clear-braised: set on a bed of napa cabbage in a clay pot, covered in light stock and more cabbage, and cooked at a bare simmer for two hours. They come out so soft they wobble, and the cabbage soaks up the pork. Chop the meat by hand if you can. Bought mince works but makes a denser ball, so loosen it with some chopped belly and throw the mixture against the bowl until it binds.
What you'll need
15 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Meatballs
- Braise
Ingredients
Meatballs
- Pork, skinless belly or fatty shoulder, about 70 percent lean and 30 percent fat600 g
- Water chestnut, peeled and finely diced6
- Ginger, sliced, for the soaking water20 g
- Spring onion, cut up, for the soaking water3
- Water, cold80 ml
- Shaoxing wine15 ml
- Egg, beaten1
- Salt4.9 ml
- Sugar4.9 ml
- White pepper2½ ml
Braise
- Napa cabbage, leaves separated, large ones halved600 g
- Chicken stock, light and low in salt1 l
- Ginger, a few slices10 g
- Salt, to taste at the end2½ ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Soak the ginger and spring onion in the cold water for 15 minutes, squeezing them now and then, then strain and keep the water. Meanwhile slice the pork thinly, cut it into fine dice, then chop it with a heavy knife for a few minutes so it starts to hold together but still has texture.
20 min
Tip: The Yangzhou rule is fine cut, coarse chop. Dice first, then chop briefly; do not reduce it to paste.
Step 2
Put the pork in a bowl with the salt, sugar, white pepper and wine. Stir hard in one direction, adding the ginger-and-spring-onion water a spoon at a time, until it is all absorbed. Mix in the egg, cornflour and water chestnut.
10 min
Step 3
Pick the mixture up and throw it back into the bowl, hard, 20 to 30 times, until it is sticky and springy. Wet your hands and shape it into four to six large, loose balls, passing each from hand to hand a few times to smooth the surface.
10 min
Tip: The throwing is what stops a ball this soft from falling apart in the pot.
Step 4
Line a clay pot or heavy casserole with half the cabbage. Bring the stock to a simmer with the ginger slices and pour it in. Lower the meatballs in gently with a large spoon, one at a time, and cover them with the rest of the cabbage leaves.
10 min
Step 5
Cover the pot and keep it at the barest simmer, just a few bubbles breaking the surface, for 2 hours. Do not stir. Taste the broth at the end and add salt.
120 min
Watch: A rolling boil will break the meatballs up. Keep the heat as low as it will go.
Step 6
Lift the soft top layer of cabbage aside and serve the meatballs in bowls with broth and cabbage, and rice on the side.
5 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 591 kcal
- Protein
- 51.6 g
- Carbs
- 17.8 g
- Fat
- 35.1 g
- Saturated fat
- 9.1 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 5.6 g
- Sodium
- 1898 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Eggs
- Wheat
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Water chestnut → Finely diced fresh lotus root or jicama
Both give the same small crunch. Tinned water chestnuts are fine too.
Hand-chopped pork → Coarse pork mince with 100 g finely chopped pork belly
Saves the knife work. The texture is denser, so throw it a little longer.
Tips
- Buy pork with real fat in it. Lean pork makes a firm, dry ball that is nothing like the original.
- Make them a day ahead. They reheat gently in their broth and taste better for it.
- For the red-braised Shanghai style, brown the shaped balls in oil, then braise for an hour in stock with soy sauce, sugar and Shaoxing wine.
History & culture
In Yangzhou, Zhenjiang and Shanghai, lion's head is family banquet food, made for New Year, weddings and reunions. Each person spoons out a piece with broth and cabbage. Shanghai households often make the red-braised version, browned and cooked with soy sauce; Yangzhou prefers this pale one.
Huaiyang cooking grew rich on Yangzhou's salt merchants in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The story goes that chefs of the Sui emperor created the dish after he admired the Yangzhou landscape, and that a Tang official renamed it because the rough-surfaced balls looked like a lion's mane. Versions with crab meat and roe are the autumn luxury.
Traditional — Yangzhou cooks braise them in a sandy clay pot and often add crab meat and roe in autumn. A heavy cast-iron casserole holds the low simmer just as well. Shaoxing wine is brewed with wheat, hence the wheat allergen.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Lion's head meatballs take?
2 hr 55 min all in — 50 min prep, 2 hr 5 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Eggs, Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
9 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Chef's knife, Cutting board, Mixing bowl, Dutch oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
How much sugar?
1 tsp of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Water chestnut → Finely diced fresh lotus root or jicama. Both give the same small crunch. Tinned water chestnuts are fine too. Hand-chopped pork → Coarse pork mince with 100 g finely chopped pork belly. Saves the knife work. The texture is denser, so throw it a little longer.
What should I watch for?
A rolling boil will break the meatballs up. Keep the heat as low as it will go.
Any tips from this recipe?
Buy pork with real fat in it. Lean pork makes a firm, dry ball that is nothing like the original. Make them a day ahead. They reheat gently in their broth and taste better for it. For the red-braised Shanghai style, brown the shaped balls in oil, then braise for an hour in stock with soy sauce, sugar and Shaoxing wine.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Make them a day ahead. They reheat gently in their broth and taste better for it.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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