Lion's Head Stew (Sha Guo Shih Tzu Tou)
- camissonia
- Nov 12
- 1 min read
No, this is not some exotic concoction made from, God forbid, the head of a lion. Rather, it's a delectable Chinese stew comprised of largish meatballs made from ground pork nestled in and covered by leaves of napa cabbage, immersed in a seasoned broth and cooked in a clay pot. Presumably, the meatballs resemble the head of lion, with the napa cabbage constituting the 'mane.' I believe the dish originated in Yangzhou and eventually became a fixture in Shanghai cuisine. Mom never made this dish when EE & I were kids, but I've tried it a couple times in recent years at some local LA Chinese restaurants. Really delish! The key is to make sure the meatballs aren't tough - they must have a really nice, tender, moist consistency. After perusing all my Chinese cookbooks, I realized the common word of wisdom across the board was to take your aggression out on this sucker - i.e., you have to throw the ground meat with gusto against the side of the bowl for several minutes in order to tenderize the mixture.
Best cooked in a clay pot, but if you don't have one, an oven-proof casserole with lid will do just fine. Great served with steamed white rice and, like so many stewed dishes, tastes even better the next day.
1
Searing the Beef
Sear beef fillets on high heat for 2 minutes per side to form a golden crust. Let it cool before proceeding to keep the beef tender.
2
Mushroom Duxelles
Cook the mushrooms until all moisture evaporates to prevent soggy pastry. Aim for a thick, paste-like consistency.
3
Puff Pastry Handling
Keep the puff pastry cold to avoid softness. Chill if it becomes too soft, and score the top lightly without cutting through.
Notes
1
Prepare the ginger-scallion water by blending all ingredients together in a blender until just smooth; set aside.
2
Place the dried shiitake mushrooms in a medium bowl and cover with hot tap water; let sit about 30 minutes or until mushrooms are rehydrated. Remove, drain, de-stem & halve the mushrooms; set aside.
3
In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, stir together 4 cups chicken stock, soy paste, soy sauce, and sugar; set aside.
4
In a large bowl, use your hand to mix together ground pork, ginger-scallion water, eggs, 1 3/4 tsp. salt, pepper, rice wine, 1 tbsp cornstarch and sesame oil, stirring together in one direction clockwise until well blended. Pick up the meat mixture and throw against the side of the bowl - keep doing this about 2-3 minutes to tenderize the meat.
5
Shape mixture into 8 meatballs. Place 2/3 cup of cornstarch on a plate or shallow bowl. Coat the meatballs with the cornstarch.
In the meantime, preheat to oven to 350 degrees.
6
Heat about 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Brown meatballs on all sides (you may have to cook in two batches if pan is too crowded). Remove to paper towels to drain.
Sauté the sliced napa cabbage in 1 tbsp vegetable in a separate wok or pan over high heat for 30-60 seconds until slightly wilted; set aside.
7
Line bottom of the clay pot or casserole with the sauteed sliced napa cabbage. Top with the meatballs & halved shiitake mushrooms, then pour in reserved stock until it almost reaches the top of the pot (save any leftover stock to add later, if it reduces too much in the pot). Place the reserved whole napa cabbage leaves over the meatballs.
8
Cover the pot and place it on a foil-lined baking sheet. Braise in the oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
Instructions
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 lbs ground pork
1 cup water
3 large ginger slices
3 scallions chopped
Ginger-Scallion Water
2 eggs
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1 3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 cups light chicken stock (or 4 cups water + 2 tbsp Totole chicken powder)*
3 tbsp soy paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
Chicken Stock Mixture
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 medium head napa cabbage cut into 1" slice (reserve about 3-4 whole leaves to cover the casserole)
1/2 cup vegetable oil for browning meatballs
1 tbsp vegetable oil for stir-frying sliced napa cabbage
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Lion's Head Stew (Sha Guo Shih Tzu Tou)
Prep Time
30 min
Cooking Time
2 hours
Rest Time
0 min
Total Time
2 hours 30 min
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