For dinner last night I made a dish from my childhood. It is SIMMERED LION'S HEAD. No, it doesn't have any lion meat in it, rather the final dish should resemble a lion head (in an artsy fartsy way.) It is also a dish served on high occasions, as it contains enough meat to peasant feed a family for a week. It has relatively few ingrediants and should be enjoyed for the richness and simplity of the dish.
SIMMERED LION'S HEAD
2 lbs ground pork
1 T rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 t salt
1/2 t msg
1 T sugar
1 T minced green onion
1 T minced ginger
1 egg
2 T corn starch
Combine the above with the pork and mix well. My Mom would tell you to mix in one direction only, don't ask why, just do it! If the meat is lean add up to 3 T water.
Now make a slurry of the following:
2 T soy
1 T corn starch
2 T water
Divide the meat into 8 equal portions and form into meatballs, big meatballs. Then, coat the meatball with the slurry. This will give the meatballs color. Now fry them up, only to brown.
As they brown mix together:
1/4 C soy
1 T sugar
2 C Stock
Once the meatballs have browned, pour the above mixture over the them and let the meatballs simmer for one hour.
As the meatballs are simmering prep and cook the green veggies. It should be bok choy or choy sum, but in good ol' BFE Alabama I used broccoli. I trimmed and steamed the broccoli to al dente'.
Once the liquid has reduced to 1/2 to 1 cup, remove the meatballs to the serving platter.
Mix:
2 t corn starch
2 T cold water
Pour this into the cooking liquid. Stirring till it has thickened.
Arrange the green veggie around the meatballs to form the lion's mane, hence LION"S HEAD.
Pour the thickened sauce over the meatball.
I hope you enjoy this. If you make please let me know how it went.
