Today we’re making a classic of Chinese cuisine: steamed pork meatballs. Native to Cantonese cooking, these little bites are fresh, light, and packed with flavor (unless ginger isn’t your thing). And because they’re steamed instead of fried, we’re kicking off the weekend with something healthier, hehe
Stick to the specified amounts of liquid and cornstarch; otherwise the mixture will be too runny, and we want meatballs, not sooooup.
How to make steamed meatballs?
Begin by mixing the filling, then let it rest so it can absorb the moisture.
Next, shape those lovely little meatballs.
Finally, steam them for about 12 minutes.
Ingredients for Chinese steamed pork meatballs
Shaoxing wine: This classic Chinese cooking wine is essential to the dish’s flavor. Click the link to read my article on substitutes.
Oyster sauce: It doesn’t taste like oysters, but it’s vital for the recipe’s aroma.
Dark soy sauce: Don’t confuse it with light soy sauce (the salty kind you usually find in supermarkets). You can find dark soy in most Asian grocery stores.
Cornstarch: Also called cornflour, it is essential for the meatballs’ texture.
Fish sauce: Still relatively unknown but delicious! You use only a little, but I highly recommend keeping some on hand 🙂
Black rice vinegar: You can replace it with white rice vinegar, though you’ll sacrifice a bit of flavor.
Chinese Steamed Pork Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 400 g ground pork
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 3 stalks sliced spring onions
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 2 minced shallots
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
Dipping Sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 0.5 tablespoon black rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients by hand
- Let rest for 1 hour
- Form the balls
- Steam for 12 minutes
Sauce
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl
Couldn’t believe my picky kid, who normally refuses anything with ginger, ate three of these steamed pork meatballs and asked for more 😊 The texture came out perfectly thanks to the cornstarch tip, and the dipping sauce was a huge hit too.
Served these steamed pork meatballs at a dinner with friends last night and they disappeared fast, so tender and flavorful with that dipping sauce 😋. A couple of guests kept complimenting how light they were and asked me to send them the recipe before they even left.
These steamed pork meatballs took me right back to Sunday mornings when my grandma would set up the steamer and the whole kitchen smelled like ginger and oyster sauce. The texture came out just like I remember from her dim sum spreads, especially with that tangy dipping sauce 😊
Made these steamed pork meatballs for Lunar New Year dinner with the whole family, and they disappeared faster than anything else on the table. The texture was so light and juicy, and that dipping sauce had everyone going back for seconds 😋