Steamed "Pearl" Pork Balls (Zhenzhu Wan or Zhenzhu Qiu)
- camissonia
- Oct 17
- 1 min read
A favorite snack/appetizer that both my mom and grandmother excelled at, Pearl Balls are basically meat balls made from ground pork, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, ginger, with a bit of chopped scallions and water chestnuts, coated with glutinous rice and steamed for about 30 minutes. Not all recipes call for this, but I also like to add some chopped shiitake mushrooms to the meatball mixture. The pearly white sheen from the glutinous rice coating is what gives this dish its name. Great for either a dim sum plate or main course. Btw, pearl balls also freeze well: after steaming, let them cool to room temp., place in a single layer in Ziploc-type bag(s), and put in the freezer. To reheat, you can either steam or microwave them.
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
Place the glutinous rice in a medium bowl, cover with water and soak at least 5-6 hours, preferably overnight.
2
Place the dried shiitake mushrooms in a bowl and cover with very hot water; let sit for 20-30 minutes or until rehydrated. Remove the mushrooms and squeeze lightly to remove excess water. Place on a chopping board; cut off the stems and chop the caps into small dice; set aside.
3
In a large bowl, add the ground pork, scallions, water chestnuts, chopped shiitakes mushrooms, eggs, and all seasoning ingredients (ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, white pepper, sugar, sesame oil, salt and cornstarch). Using your hands, mix everything together well until very thoroughly combined; set aside.
4
Drain the rice well in a colander and spread onto a baking sheet or casserole dish.
5
For the meatballs: scoop out about 1 heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture and form into a ball. Roll the meatball in the glutinous rice to coat, then place on to a foil or plastic wrap-lined baking sheet. Continue the same process until all the meat mixture has been used up. Garnish the top of each pearl ball with a bit of shredded carrot. Recipe should make about 30 balls.
6
Prepare your steamer (I use these large stackable stainless-steel steamers purchased from the Chinese market which I place over a large wok of boiling hot water). Place the pearl balls in the steamer, about 1/2 inch apart, cover, and steam over medium high heat for 25-30 minutes.
7
Carefully remove the pearl balls from the steamer and plate. If desired, garnish each ball with a cilantro leaf for more color. Serve with Chinese sweet chili sauce and/or a light soy sauce on the side.
Instructions
2 lbs ground pork
1 1/2 cups glutinous (sticky or sweet rice)
6 medium dried shiitake mushrooms
3 scallions finely chopped
8 canned water chestnuts finely minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 large eggs
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp rice wine
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp cornstarch
Seasoning Ingredients
1 small carrot peeled & finely shredded
Cilantro leaves for garnish
Dipping Sauces
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Steamed "Pearl" Pork Balls (Zhenzhu Qiu or Zhenzhu Wan)
Prep Time
30 min
Cooking Time
30 min
Rest Time
0
Total Time
1 hour
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