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Pearl Balls

Pork with rice – staples of our Asian diet. And this delightful little dumpling is a microcosm of that diet – marinated minced pork rolled in rice and steamed until perfect! I started using this recipe back in 2003, when I wanted to make full use of the large bamboo steamers we bought in Chinatown. This is a very simple and easy recipe – but it has always elicited “oohs” and “aahs” from our guests because, well, they look really cool.

Dip in soy sauce and hot sauce and enjoy!

Bamboo steamers are usually available in Chinese supermarkets or cookware stores in your local Chinatown. In Canada and the US, most mainstream grocery stores such as Walmart and the Real Canadian Superstore carry steamers in packs of three. Bamboo steamers are also available from many online retailers (in the UK http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/). If you cannot find bamboo steamers anywhere (or if you don’t want to buy them), you can also use a vegetable steamer.

Pearl Balls Recipe

Pearl Balls

This recipe makes about 20 pearl balls. You can quarter it to fit a mini-steamer or double it to fill 2 large steamers.

Equipment

• 1 20-inch bamboo steamer and lid
• banana leaf or wax paper
• Large pot that the steamer will fit over

Ingredients

• Glutinous (or unsweetened pudding) rice, soaked in water overnight or for 3 hours
• Approximately 375 grams of minced/ground pork
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon finely minced or pureed ginger
• 3 stalks of green/spring onion, sliced thinly
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin or Chinese cooking wine

Instructions

Cover the glutinous rice with water in a large bowl. Leave it to soak overnight or for at least 3 hours. Drain when ready to use.

Line the bamboo steamers with wax paper or bamboo leaf. Cut the liner so that there is 1 centimeter of free space between the edge of the lining and the side of the steamer. Lightly oil the lining.

Mix the pork, ginger, scallions, cornstarch, egg, soy sauce and mirin.

Mix all the other ingredients in a large bowl.

Roll the pork gently in the rice

Take about 1.5 tablespoons of the pork mixture and shape it into a ball in your palm. Gently roll the ball in the rice.

Set the pearl balls on the lined steamer

Place each ball in the steamer, at least half a centimeter apart.

Steam over boiling water

Boil a full pot of water over high heat. Place the steamer(s) over the pot and cover. Lower the heat to medium high. Steam or 45 minutes-1 hour or until the meat is cooked and tender.

A delicious dinner

Serve with small dipping bowls of  soy sauce and hot sauce.

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