Lion's Head

I think we can all agree on the awesomeness that is Ming-Na Wen. Being the voice of Disney’s Mulan is cool enough in and of itself, but now she’s also a weekly highlight as cool-as-fudge Melinda May on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Reading an interview with her recently I found out she’s also an enthusiastic (and probably excellent) cook. As if her resume of awesomeness needed any more padding! She said her kids’ favourite meal is Chinese comfort food, namely a dish called “Lion’s Head”. I had never heard of it but a dish with a name like that simply has to be made immediately, I think you’ll all agree. When I found out the dish consists mainly of oversized meatballs, well… let’s just say that did nothing to assuage my enthusiasm.

In a large bowl combine 250 grams of ground pork and the same amount of ground beef (you could use only one or the other if you prefer) with one loosely beaten egg, two cloves of garlic and 5 cm of ginger (just grate those in), 2 finely chopped spring onions, 1,5 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of dry sherry, some salt and pepper, a pinch of sugar and a teaspoon of sesame oil. Use your hands to form the mixture into a cohesive mass, adding a tablespoon or two of flour to make sure the mixture isn’t too wet. When you roll the mixture around in the bowl, you want it to form a large ball pretty much by itself.

Heat some wok oil in a heavy based pan, with a tight fitting lid. Form the meat mixture into 4 large, slightly oval meatballs. Fry them over a medium to high heat for about five minutes until brown all over. Remove them from the pan and wipe out the excess oil.  Return the pan to the heat and add a few drops of wok oil and sesame oil, this time purely for flavour. Return the meatballs to the pan and add 375 ml of chicken stock (just use a cube) and two tablespoons of soy sauce. Clamp on the lid and let it simmer for about ten minutes. In the meantime cut a small (or half) Chinese cabbage into ribbons (just place it sideways on the board and cut 1 cm wide strips). Rinse well with cold water and leave to drain. After ten minutes, pile the cabbage on and around the meatballs and, with the lid on again, simmer for another fifteen minutes. Some of the cabbage will cook, some will steam, all will be delicious.

To serve: place a meatball in the middle of the plate, it being the head of the lion. Drape the soft cabbage around it, this being the ‘mane’ of the lion, so make sure to think feline thoughts whilst doing so. Ladle over some of the dark broth, sprinkle over some freshly chopped spring onion and prepare to swoon. The meatball is caramelized but also meltingly tender, the cabbage has retained a tiny bit of squeaky bite and the broth is wonderfully savoury. Ming-Na Wen’s kids are absolutely right to demand this dish of their awesome mother. It truly is the king of the jungle. Wait, does China have jungles?