Braised Lion's Head Meatballs, also known as Four Joy Meatballs, are authentic Henan cuisine. Thus, many assume this dish originates from Henan. In fact, Braised Lion's Head is a southern Chinese dish, distinct from Henan's Four Joy Meatballs.
To understand the regional origins of Braised Lion's Head Meatballs, let's first examine their history.
Legend has it that "lion's head" (狮子头), known in Yangzhou dialect as "da zhan rou" (大斩肉) and in northern dialects as "da rou wanzi" (大肉丸子) or "si xi wanzi" (四喜丸子), traces its distant ancestry to the "jumping meatballs" (跳丸炙) documented in the Northern and Southern Dynasties' culinary text, The Book of Food (食经).When Emperor Yang of Sui traveled south along the Grand Canal, he became deeply enamored with Yangzhou's four renowned landscapes: Wansong Mountain, Jindian Hill, Ivory Forest, and Sunflower Ridge.
Upon returning to court, he commanded his imperial chefs to create dishes inspired by these four scenes, resulting in Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish, Coin-shaped Shrimp Cakes, Ivory-shaped Chicken Strips, and Sunflower-shaped Minced Meat.During the Tang Dynasty, Duke Wei Zhi of Xun observed the dish "Sunflower-shaped Minced Meat" being served. The enormous meatball shaped like a sunflower center was exquisitely crafted, resembling a lion's head. He thus renamed it "Lion's Head."With this renaming, the dish gained widespread popularity, cementing its status as a Yangzhou specialty.
Given its origins in Yangzhou, it becomes clear that Braised Lion's Head belongs to the cuisine of Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province.
Now that we know its regional roots, let's explore how to prepare Braised Lion's Head.
1. Separate lean and fatty pork. Dice lean meat into rice-grain sized pieces; cut fatty meat into pomegranate seed-sized chunks.
2. Soak dried shrimp in warm water until softened, then chop into rice-grain sized pieces. Finely dice dried shiitake mushrooms.
3. Combine ingredients from steps 1 and 2 in a bowl. Add cooking wine, salt, and finely minced scallions and ginger. Stir vigorously in one direction until the mixture becomes elastic.
4.Add water and continue mixing vigorously in one direction. Then add the egg and cornstarch, still mixing vigorously in one direction.Use both hands to form several smooth, evenly sized large meatballs (I divided mine into 6 portions).
7. Place into a wok with oil heated to 50% heat. Fry until the meatballs develop a slightly firm crust and color on both sides, then remove.
8. Place old broth in a clay pot (if unavailable, use blanched pork knuckles or ribs as a base, add water, then place the meatballs on top).
9.Add soup ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer the meatballs over low heat for 1 hour until only a small amount of broth remains. Remove the meatballs, thicken the remaining broth with a light starch slurry, drizzle with sesame oil, and pour over the meatballs.