Chinese Spring festival is coming and I love to introduce this steamed meatball with sticky rice for the coming holiday party.
There are lots of symbolic dishes for Chinese Spring Festival. We get round balls including meatballs, almond cookie, Tangyuan and deep-fried sesame balls to symbolize the reunion of the family. We get fish either roasted, grilled, steamed or red braised to symbolize the rich harvest in the past year (we get some leftovers after one year hard working). This steamed pork ball with sticky rice gets a very lovely name “pearl balls”. I think it can be quite meaningful to a family party.
It can be served as a super easy side dish or appetizer, will be loved by child. The aroma of the meatballs forms a good comparison with the light flavor from the sticky rice. If you get a blender, this dish only need 15 minutes preparation. So it is a nice choice for large family party when lots of cooking tasks need to be finished in a short time.
Instructions
Wash to clean sticky rice and then soak in water for 4 hours until easy to break.
Add pork (with at least 30% fat), salt, white pepper, ginger, spring onion, egg, cornstarch, light soy sauce and oyster sauce in a blender. Blend with pause until there are still some particles.
Add sesame oil and continue stir the meat in one direction for 2-3 minutes and then shape the pork into balls.
Place the meatballs into sticky rice and slightly press the surface to make sure the rice is well attached.
Place in steamer and steam for 30 minutes (I use high pressure cook with rice procedure, taking 20 minutes).
Make some decoration and serve hot.
Steamed Meatballs With Sticky Rice (Pearl Balls)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sticky rice , pre-soaked
- coriander leaves or other herbals for decoration
Pork
- 300 g pork with at least 30% fat
- 1 thumb ginger , sliced
- 1 green onion , white part only
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce , or sugar
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
Instructions
- Wash to clean sticky rice and then soak in water for 4 hours until easy to break.
- Add pork (with at least 30% fat), salt, white pepper, ginger, spring onion, egg, cornstarch, light soy sauce and oyster sauce in a blender. Blend with pause until there are still some particles.
- Add sesame oil and continue stir the meat in one direction for 2-3 minutes and then shape the pork into balls.
- Place the meatballs into sticky rice and slightly press the surface to make sure the rice is well attached.
- Place in steamer and steam for 30 minutes (I use high pressure cook with rice procedure, taking 20 minutes). Make some decoration and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
I couldn’t be more impressed with your clear instruction such that a first-timer like myself could recreate such an impressive looking dish! I followed instruction and changed nothing and it came out perfect just like picture
Thank you Sabena for trying and leaving me such a great comment. I am so happy to know it turns out great for you too.
Elaine, your warm heart and passionate soul about food and family have inspired me for several years now. When i am having a hard day, i come to your website. I read your words and learn your food and my life is changed, every time . Thank you. Every single dish i have ever made from your website has been stellar. I have shared this with so mamy other people. Thank you for what you do. It means so much to me.
Alicia,
I am sad to know that you are having hard days. Life is really not easy, but we can control our mind and method of treating it. Hope you treat yourself well. Elaine
Elaine- This sounds wonderful! I want to take these to a birthday party.. Can you suggest how to keep them warm or to re-warm them once at the event. Seems like it would be difficult to make them on the spot and not much fun ether.
could I perhaps cook them earlier in the day and keep them warm in between leaves in a warming rice cooker? Or do you have a better suggestion?
thanks,
hannah
Hannah,
You can re-steam them to make them warm again. This will not influence the flavors and texture.