Braised Lion's Head is a must-have dish during Chinese festivals. Despite this, many remain unsure about its regional origins. Below, we'll detail where Braised Lion's Head comes from and how to make authentic Lion's Head.Braised Lion's Head, also known as Four Joy Meatballs, is an authentic Henan dish. Consequently, many assume its origin is Henan. However, this is not the case—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, let's first explore its history.
Legend has it that "lion's head," known in Yangzhou dialect as "da zhan rou" (large chopped meat) and in northern dialects as "da rou wanzi" (large meatballs) or "si xi wanzi," traces its distant ancestry to the "jumping meatballs" (跳丸炙) documented in the Northern and Southern Dynasties' culinary text, The Book of Food.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 four dishes: Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish, Coin-shaped Shrimp Cakes, Ivory-shaped Chicken Strips, and Sunflower-shaped Minced Meat.During the Tang Dynasty, Duke Xun of Wei, Wei Zhi, witnessed the dish "Sunflower-shaped Minced Meat" being served. The enormous meatball crafted into a sunflower center was exquisitely beautiful, resembling a lion's head. He thus renamed the dish "Lion's Head."With this renaming, the dish gained widespread popularity, and Yangzhou gained a new signature dish.
Given its origins in Yangzhou, it becomes clear that braised lion's head is a dish of Jiangsu cuisine, specifically from Yangzhou.
Now that we know its regional origin, let's explore how to prepare authentic Braised Lion's Head. How does one create the genuine dish?
1. Separate lean and fatty pork. Dice lean meat into rice-grain sized pieces and chop 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 the shiitake mushrooms. 3. Place ingredients from steps 1 and 2 into a bowl. Add cooking wine, salt, and finely minced scallions and ginger. Mix vigorously in one direction until the mixture becomes sticky and elastic. 4. Add water and continue mixing vigorously in one direction until the mixture becomes sticky and elastic. Then add the egg and cornstarch, still mixing vigorously in one direction until the mixture becomes sticky and elastic. 5.Use both hands to shape the mixture into several smooth, uniform large meatballs (I divided mine into 6 portions).
7. Place the meatballs into a wok with oil heated to 50% heat. Fry until both sides form a slightly firm crust and develop color, then remove.
8. Place old broth in a clay pot (if unavailable, use blanched beef bones or spare ribs as a base, add water, then place the meatballs on top).
9.Add soup ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer meatballs over low heat for 1 hour until broth is reduced. Remove meatballs, thicken remaining broth with a light starch slurry, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve over meatballs.
That concludes our guide on the regional origins of Braised Lion's Head Meatballs and how to make authentic ones. We hope this information proves helpful. Wishing you good health and smooth sailing this winter.