Cringey Kitchen

Gluten free, dairy free things in the shape of food

Lion’s Head Soup

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Lion’s Head Soup is a classic Chinese stewed meatball dish. It’s called “Lion’s Head” because the meatballs resemble the heads of Chinese guardian lions. There are a few different varieties of Lion’s Head Soup, but I wanted to go with the more classic version of pork meatballs and cabbage.

Traditionally, this dish is made with pork that is 50% fat, but I couldn’t find that in my standard supermarket. I also didn’t want that much fat in my dish, so I used ground pork that was 20% fat.

If you want an even softer texture to your meatball, then you’ll want to use pork with more fat. The meatballs will still turn out just as delicious, even if you don’t use super fatty pork!

When you add the cabbage to the pot, it won’t all fit in the soup at once. I recommend adding the thicker white part of the cabbage first and then the leafy part on top. That way, the thicker part has more time to cook, since the leafy part cooks really quickly. You may need to rearrange your meatballs to make room for the cabbage.

Keep your meatball in your soup, not the floor,
Your favorite alternative chefs, K & T

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Lion’s Head Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 meatballs

Ingredients

Meatball

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 4 oz water chestnuts
  • 1 green onion chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger minced
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp tamari
  • 2 tsp dry sherry
  • 1 egg beaten
  • ½ tsp sesame oil
  • White pepper to taste
  • 2 to 3 tbsps cornstarch
  • 2 tbsps oil

Soup

  • 2 tbsps tamari
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 head of napa cabbage

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine all meatball ingredients except cornstarch and oil. Mix together until thoroughly combined.
  2. Add 2 tbsps cornstarch and then add 1 tsp at a time until you get to your desired consistency.
  3. Form pork mixture into 6 large meatballs.
  4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Add meatballs and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Push the meatballs down, so they aren’t perfectly round.
  5. In a pot, heat the chicken broth and 2 tbsps tamari until it comes to a boil.
  6. Reduce the heat and add the meatballs. Simmer the meatballs for 10 minutes.
  7. Add the napa cabbage to the broth and let simmer for another 15 minutes until napa cabbage and meatballs are cooked.
  8. Serve in a bowl with meatballs on top of napa cabbage with some of the soup.