Pearl Meatballs

Description

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the bamboo leaves in the water (You can do this the night before.)
2. Soak the glutinous rice in a bowl covered with at least an inch of water above the rice for about 2 hours.
3. In a large bowl, add the ground pork, water chestnuts, ginger, the scallions, water, Shaoxing wine, potato starch, white pepper, sesame oil, sea salt, and sugar. Stir to combine everything well, whipping in one direction for at least 5 minutes until the filling becomes fluffy and sticky. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. While the meat is marinating, prepare the steamer. Wash and trim the bamboo leaves and use them to line the steamer. After 2 hours of soaking, drain the glutinous rice, and do your best to shake off any excess water.
5. Take out the meat filling from the fridge after the 30 minutes has elapsed. Now it’s time to make the pearls! Take about a tablespoon of meat filling, form a ball, and roll it in the glutinous rice so that the whole surface is coated. Roll it between your palms lightly to ensure all the glutinous rice adheres to the meatball. Position the meatballs on the bamboo leaf with about ½ an inch of space in between each meatball
6. Place it over cold water with the steamer covered. Steam over high heat for 20-30 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the meatballs sit with the cover on for 3 minutes before serving.

Tip: You also can line the steamer with parchment paper or leaves of napa cabbage instead of bamboo leaves to prevent the meatballs from sticking. I used the bamboo leaves, which I had on hand and add a great aroma. Also, if you can’t find water chestnuts, you can also use lotus root or carrot instead.