Jiangsu · main
Lion's Head Meatballs
狮子头 · Shīzitóu
Large pork meatballs (the size of a lion's head) braised in clear broth with cabbage. A Yangzhou banquet centrepiece.
Lion's head meatballs are minced pork (with hand-cut, not machine-ground, texture) shaped into large balls roughly the size of a lion's head, then braised in a clear or stewed sauce with napa cabbage, mushrooms or vermicelli. The meatballs are moist; the cabbage absorbs the broth. Yangzhou's signature dish; typically eaten one or two per person at a banquet.
Where to try
Yangzhou: most banquet restaurants. Shanghai and Nanjing also strong.
Dietary notes
Pork, soy.
Cities to try Lion's Head Meatballs
Other east dishes
- Beggar's Chicken叫花鸡
A whole chicken stuffed with aromatics, wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, then slow-baked until the meat steams in its own juices.
- Beggar's Chicken — Jiaohuaji叫花鸡 (江苏式)
A Jiangsu-province variation of clay-baked chicken with a lotus-leaf wrap and a mushroom and pork stuffing.
- Dragon Well Tea龙井茶
China's most celebrated green tea — pan-fired flat leaves from Hangzhou's West Lake district with a sweet, chestnut flavour.
- Drunken Chicken醉鸡
Chicken steamed and marinated in Shaoxing rice wine, served chilled. A Shanghai banquet starter.