Lionhead meatball soup

• groundnut oil100ml ml

  for frying

• lean pork mince↗500g g
• garlic cloves↗4

  finely minced

• ginger↗2 tbsp grated tbsp

  grated

• spring onions↗2

  finely chopped

• ground white pepper↗1 pinch of

  1 pinch of

• shaoxing rice wine↗50ml ml

  or dry sherry

• dark soy sauce↗1 tbsp tbsp
• light soy sauce↗2 tbsp tbsp
• toasted sesame oil↗1 tbsp tbsp
• egg↗1

  beaten

• cornflour↗1 tbsp tbsp
• vegetable stock↗500ml ml
• dried Chinese mushrooms↗5

  slices

• Chinese leaf↗200g g

  washed, quartered lengthways from leaf to stem

• light soy sauce↗1 tbsp
• toasted sesame oil↗1 tbsp
• ground white pepper↗1 pinch of
• cornflour↗1 tbsp

  mixed with 1 tbsp water

• spring onions↗2 large

  washed, trimmed and sliced, to serve

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Put all the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl and stir to combine well. Using wetted hands, take a golf ball-sized mound and roll into a round shape. Put on a plate and repeat to make 12.

2. 2

   Pour the groundnut oil into a large wok or pan and set over high heat until a thermometer reads 160C. Put a meatball onto a slotted spoon and gently lower into the oil. Leave to brown for 5-7 mins until golden, then cook all the meatballs. To check if a meatball is cooked, push a skewer through and, if it comes out clean, it’s cooked. Lift the meatballs out, then drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside.

3. 3

   Add 1 tbsp of the hot oil to a clean wok. Put over a high heat, add the vegetable stock, 850ml water, the mushrooms and Chinese leaf, and cook over a medium heat for 10-12 mins. Add the meatballs and cook for a further 4-5 mins, adjusting the cabbage leaves so they wrap around each meatball – the meatball resembles the ‘lion's head’ and the cabbage resembles the ‘mane’. Season with sesame oil, salt and ground white pepper. To thicken the soup, add 1 tbsp of the cornflour mixture when the broth is boiling. Then turn the heat to low and garnish with the sliced spring onions.

4. 4

   Ladle a portion into soup bowls, spoon a meatball and with some Chinese leaf and sliced mushrooms, and serve immediately.