Boulettes Tête de Lion
D'énormes boulettes de porc tendres, mijotées dans un bouillon léger avec du chou chinois.
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Étapes
Hand-chop the pork
Cut the pork into strips, then chop it with a heavy knife or cleaver, rocking and rotating the pile, until it looks like coarse rice rather than a smooth paste. This rough, uneven chop (not a food processor mince) is what gives the meatballs their shaggy, tender bite.
- 500 g pork, hand-chopped
✅ C'est prêt quand : the pork is in small, uneven, rice-sized pieces, not a smooth paste
Mix and beat in water
In a large bowl, combine the chopped pork, water chestnuts, minced ginger, minced scallion whites, egg white, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, salt and white pepper. Add the cold water a little at a time, stirring in one direction with your hand or chopsticks and letting each splash fully absorb before adding more — this classic 'beating in water' step is the secret to meatballs that stay juicy and soft instead of dense.
- 500 g chopped pork
- 60 g water chestnuts
- half minced ginger
- white parts minced scallion
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 120 ml cold water
✅ C'est prêt quand : the mixture is sticky, slightly loose, and all the water has been absorbed
Shape loosely
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Braise gently
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Add remaining cabbage
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Serve
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Hand-chop the pork
Cut the pork into strips, then chop it with a heavy knife or cleaver, rocking and rotating the pile, until it looks like coarse rice rather than a smooth paste. This rough, uneven chop (not a food processor mince) is what gives the meatballs their shaggy, tender bite.
- 500 g pork, hand-chopped
✅ C'est prêt quand : the pork is in small, uneven, rice-sized pieces, not a smooth paste
Mix and beat in water
In a large bowl, combine the chopped pork, water chestnuts, minced ginger, minced scallion whites, egg white, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, salt and white pepper. Add the cold water a little at a time, stirring in one direction with your hand or chopsticks and letting each splash fully absorb before adding more — this classic 'beating in water' step is the secret to meatballs that stay juicy and soft instead of dense.
- 500 g chopped pork
- 60 g water chestnuts
- half minced ginger
- white parts minced scallion
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 120 ml cold water
✅ C'est prêt quand : the mixture is sticky, slightly loose, and all the water has been absorbed
Shape loosely
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Braise gently
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Add remaining cabbage
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Lion's head meatballs come from the canal cities of Jiangsu, home to Huaiyang cuisine, one of China's most refined culinary traditions. The dish takes its name from its shape: the loosely packed, hand-chopped meatball cooks into a shaggy, textured sphere said to resemble a lion's mane, especially when nestled on a bed of pale napa cabbage meant to suggest a lion sitting on its haunches.
Unlike dense, finely ground meatballs, the pork here is cut by hand with a knife so the strands of meat stay loose, and water is worked into the mixture to keep it tender. The dish became a banquet classic prized for its delicate technique as much as its comfort.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's the signature dish of Huaiyang cuisine, admired for turning a simple pork meatball into something refined through careful knife work and a light, clear braise rather than heavy sauce.
💡 Fun Fact
The size of the meatball is a point of pride in Jiangsu kitchens — the bigger and more tender it is while still holding together, the more skilled the cook.
Yangzhou / Huai'an, Jiangsu province
32.40°N, 119.43°E
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