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overhead of asian pork meatballs with sriracha drizzled on top.
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4.86 from 7 votes

Lion's Head (Pork Meatballs with Bok Choy)

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.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 603kcal

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: 1g | Calories: 603kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 1453mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g