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Home » Recipes » Pork

Lion's Head (Asian Pork Meatballs with Bok Choy)

Published: Aug 20, 2022 · Modified: May 4, 2024 by Sarah Baumeister · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

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A classic Chinese dish, Lion's Head, combines ground pork with aromatics and breadcrumbs to create delicate and delicious asian pork meatballs in savory broth with tender bok choy.

plated lions head dish with sriracha on top and chopsticks on the side of the bowl.

It has been over a year since I first shared this recipe, and I thought it was time for some picture updating. Not only that, but it is truly one of our household's favorite dishes. It is perhaps Michael's most requested dinner that I make!

This meal is warm and filling, but the bright ginger, tangy rice vinegar, and warm garlic and onion keep the flavors crisp and light.

Where does the dish "Lion's Head" get its name?

lions head pork meatballs over rice with broth.

Lion’s Head is a Chinese dish involving tender pork meatballs and bok choy in a savory broth. The name comes from the visual appeal of the dish-- the meatballs represent the lion’s head and the bok choy its flowing mane.

There are a few versions of this dish that you will find, depending on the region of China it originates. The first version is steamed meatballs. The meatballs are browned to seal in flavor and give them shape and then steamed. This process produces a light and fluffy meatball, with a lot of fat rendered out from the steaming process.

The next version is braising in a soy sauce mixture. And the third is cooking the pork meatballs in chicken stock. For this recipe, I combine all of the methods by browning, incorporating the extra broth, and then bringing in the salty umami flavor that braising the meatballs in soy sauce imparts.

Ingredients

asian pork meatballs

ingredients for chinese lions head on a white background.
  • fresh ginger
  • baby bok choy
  • garlic
  • ground pork
  • egg
  • green onions
  • rice vinegar
  • soy sauce
  • sugar
  • bread crumbs
  • olive oil

Broth

ingredients for broth on a white background.
  • soy sauce
  • rice vinegar
  • sugar
  • chicken stock

How to prepare lion's head

Begin by peeling and mincing a good-sized nub of fresh ginger (enough to equal approximately 1 ½ tablespoons. Mince 6 cloves of garlic. Trim ends off of both sides of the green onions and dice. Take this time to also prepare the bok choy and cut each into fourths length-wise. You can also cut it into ½ inch-1 inch pieces. This is easier to eat, I just enjoy the look of the more whole bok choy.

hand holding baby bok choy to show size.

In a large bowl, add minced ginger, garlic, green onions, egg, ground pork, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and bread crumbs. Stir to combine. Form pork mixture in golf ball-sized meatballs and flatten (should create about 15 meatballs).

ingredients for asian pork meatballs in a bowl.
mixed meatball mixture in a white bowl.
finished asian pork meatballs raw on a plate.

Heat the first tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and place in approx. half of the meatballs. Brown and flip--about 5 minutes on each side. After first batch is brown, remove to plate, and add second tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the rest of the meatballs and repeat.

browned meatballs in a dutch oven.

In a small bowl, mix together ingredients for the broth: soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chicken stock. Add to the skillet, scraping the bottom to get up any flavoring that lies there. Add in prepared bok coy, and replace the meatballs back to the pot. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

pork meatballs in savory broth.
chopped baby bok choy added to a large pot.

Recipe tip

This dish takes a little bit of time, but the end result is beyond worth it! I have been known to double the measurements for the recipe and make this in a HUGE pot, simply because the leftovers heat up so beautifully and it doesn't take that much extra prep time to come out with double the result.

asian pork meatballs with bok choy simmered in broth.

Ground pork substitute

If you don't like ground pork or choose not to eat it, this recipe can easily be made with ground chicken instead! I do this often, depending on what meat I have on hand, and the ground chicken meatballs taste very similar.

How to serve braised asian pork meatballs

You can serve this on its own as more of a soup/stew, or serve it over rice! I love a generous dash of sriracha on top as well.

three meatballs with bok choy and rice in a bowl with chopsticks.

Bok Choy Substitute

As far as greens go, this recipe calls for baby bok choy. If you are unable to find this, regular bok choy or even Napa cabbage can be substituted, you will simply need to cut it into smaller pieces. Spinach is a good substitute as well, but is a much different, more tender texture.

If you use a more tender green, you don’t have to cook it as long. Adjust accordingly if you are substituting.

asian pork meatballs with bok choy and rice with sriracha bottle.

Looking for more asian inspired dishes?

  • Spicy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  • Spicy Thai Basil Chicken
  • Better than Takeout Beef and Broccoli
  • Spicy Pork Dumplings
  • Inside Out Egg Rolls
overhead of asian pork meatballs with sriracha drizzled on top.

Lion's Head (Pork Meatballs with Bok Choy)

Sarah Baumeister
A classic Chinese dish, Lion's head, asian pork meatballs are filled with flavors like ginger and garlic, cooked until tender and served with rice.
4.86 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 45 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Course dinner
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 servings
Calories 603 kcal

Ingredients
  

Broth

  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 4 cups chicken stock

Meatballs

  • 1 ½ tbsp. fresh ginger
  • 1-2 lbs. baby bok choy
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 1 egg
  • 4 green onions
  • 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • ¼ cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil separated

Instructions
 

  • Begin by peeling and mincing a good-sized nub of fresh ginger (enough to equal approximately 1 ½ tablespoons. Mince 6 cloves of garlic. Trim ends off of both sides of the green onions and dice. Take this time to also prepare the bok choy and cut each into fourths length-wise.
  • In a large bowl, add minced ginger, garlic, green onions, egg, ground pork, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and bread crumbs. Stir to combine. 
  • Form pork mixture in golf ball-sized meatballs and flatten (should create about 15 meatballs).
  • Heat the first tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven (6 qt.) and place in approx. half of the meatballs. Brown and flip--about 5 minutes on each side. After first batch is brown, remove to plate, and add second tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the rest of the meatballs and repeat.
  • In a small bowl, mix together ingredients for the broth: soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chicken stock. Add to the skillet, scraping the bottom to get up any flavoring that lies there. 
  • Add in prepared bok coy, and replace the meatballs back to the pot. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. 
  • Best served with a dollop of Sriracha.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 603kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 43gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 160mgSodium: 1453mgFiber: 3gSugar: 13g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tim

    January 05, 2019 at 9:41 am

    5 stars
    Love this recipe!

    Reply
  2. Leticia

    January 07, 2019 at 9:18 pm

    5 stars
    Yum, where’s mine

    Reply
  3. Mtmb

    January 11, 2019 at 8:38 am

    5 stars

    Yummy,
    This is truly a warm up for winter meal.

    Reply
  4. Shannan

    March 06, 2019 at 1:16 am

    I located your web site from Google and I
    need to claim it was an excellent discover. Many thanks!

    Reply
  5. joanne

    March 31, 2020 at 4:34 pm

    pictures. worth thousand words as I heard all pictures so beautiful good almost !to take a bite

    Reply
    • Sarah

      April 05, 2020 at 5:58 pm

      Hehe, couldn't have said it better myself! Thank you!

      Reply
4.86 from 7 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Hi, I'm Sarah!

I am a wife, mother, and believer. I have been cooking since I can remember and love sharing recipes with all of you. You will find a variety of recipes here from healthy family dinners, to ways to prepare venison, to soups, to baked goods, anything and everything delicious.

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