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Lion's Head Meatballs
狮子头 · Shīzitóu
Large braised or steamed pork meatballs on a bed of napa cabbage, simmered until the fat melts into the broth.
Lion's head meatballs are a Huaiyang classic now synonymous with Shanghai home cooking. Each meatball — roughly the size of a fist — is made from hand-chopped pork (ideally a 70/30 lean-to-fat ratio) mixed with water chestnuts, ginger, Shaoxing wine, soy and cornflour, then shaped loosely so the surface remains slightly textured. The red-braised version is simmered in soy, sugar, star anise and Shaoxing wine until the fat renders and the sauce reduces to a deep mahogany glaze. The clear-braised version is steamed or simmered in a mild chicken stock with napa cabbage. Both are considered winter comfort dishes. The name refers to the meatballs resting on cabbage leaves like a lion resting its head, though interpretations vary.
Where to try
Shanghai: available at Shanghainese home-style restaurants (benbang cai) throughout the city. The Huaiyang restaurant tradition around Suzhou and Yangzhou also serves authoritative versions.
Dietary notes
Contains pork, soy, wheat (cornflour, Shaoxing wine). Not suitable for pork-free diets.
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.