Woo Can Cook | Braised “Lion's Head” Meatballs (Shizitou)

Video Description

Woo Can Cook is a series where we reproduce fun foods and recipes from my childhood. Some of them are authentically Chinese and/or pan-Asian, but a lot of them are odd Americanized versions that I inherited from my parents and grandparents while growing up in the Bay Area/California. This is a recipe for a Shanghainese meatball dish called "Lion's Head" meatball or shi zitou which I grew up eating as a kid a lot from a restaurant in the SF Richmond district called Dragon House. My dad and I have gone back and forth about the use of corn starch vs. panko in this dish. I ended up settling on panko cause I think it makes for a more tender meatball, but my dad swears by corn starch. Hope you give it a try! Music (Woo Cooks Beats): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6LoSEKTkczck2vyR0e5ZEA Instagram (random nonsense and Sammy cameos): https://Instagram.com/WooCanCook Youtube Live Streaming (Tuesdays/Thursdays at 6:30PM PST, Wednesdays at 6PM PST!): https://youtube.com/WooCanCook INGREDIENTS (meatballs, yields 8) - 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced - 4 tbsp ginger, minced - 1 lb ground pork - 1 egg - 4 tbsp soy sauce - 1 tbsp sesame oil - 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder - 1 tsp white pepper - 1/2 cup panko breadcrumb - 1/4 cup water chestnuts, minced INGREDIENTS (braising sauce) - 4 tbsp soy sauce - 1 tbsp sesame oil - 2 tbsp shaoxing wine - 2 tbsp oyster sauce - 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce - 3 tbsp lao gan ma (spicy chili crisp) INGREDIENTS - 8 oz baby bok choy - 4 cloves garlic - 4 tbsp ginger - 2 tbsp corn starch - water - vegetable oil - kosher salt PREP - COMBINE all meatball ingredients - FORM meatballs into eight 2 oz meatballs, set aside - COMBINE all braising sauce ingredients, set aside - SLICE baby bok choy in half, set aside - CRUSH AND MINCE garlic, set aside - PEEL AND FINE MINCE ginger, set aside - COMBINE corn starch with equal parts water and mix until dissolved. Set aside ON THE STOVE - HEAT a wok as hot as possible, then add 6 tbsp vegetable oil to the wok and long yao - ADD meatballs to the wok 4 at a time and sear for 3 minutes, then rotate until all sides are seared - REMOVE meatballs and wipe wok down - ADD 4 tbsp vegetable oil to the wok, and long yao - ADD garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 10-15 seconds - ADD bok choy to the wok and toss for 1-2 minutes until tender - ADD meatballs back to the wok, followed by the braising sauce and corn starch slurry - BRAISE for 2-3 minutes, then season with kosher salt to taste - SERVE over rice