Rice-Studded Meatballs

[jo-mel]

Buy one that fits your biggest pot or wok you can use for steaming.  You shouldn't have to pay very much for them either.  I have a big one you can see in my eGCI course, and then smaller ones that fit on saucpans.  I like the big one because pyrex pie plates fit just right inside and their lip prevents spills.  I also have a new gadget that is one of those plate grabber things so you can remove the plates from the steamer without tilting them.  You don't really need one, but it does make life a little easier.

happy cooking,

trillium

I have several sizes, too, and the large ones ARE useful for pie plates while still leaving room for the steam to rise. I even have a teeny weeny one - about 2"" across --- but it is simply a conversation piece and a dust gatherer. Those plate grabbers are great! I used strips of cloth to lift plates, until someone invented those gadgets. Smart move!

Susan -- Look for sturdy bamboo baskets. Some have a one piece VERY sturdy basket bottom, and some are VERY flimsy with wide apart slats. After a while, the flimsy ones fall apart. In between are baskets with sturdy slats, evenly spaced so that there are no wide spots for small things to fall through. These usually have a staple holding the inner ring of bamboo together. The flimsy ones are just glued.

They take up a lot of space, so I just hang them on nails, high up on my kitchen walls.

Let us know how you do.

[Dejah]

jo-mel,

Your recipe for PEARL BALLS:

Can these be frozen after I steam them?

Can't imagine they'd freeze well before they are steamed...?

Ok...duh...

I should have read BOTH pages I printed out instead of focusing on...

" I gotta get to the store before closing for waterchestnuts!"

I will steam then freeze;-)

Edited March 14, 2004 by Dejah (log)

[jo-mel]

jo-mel,

Your recipe for PEARL BALLS:

Can these be frozen after I steam them?

Can't imagine they'd freeze well before they are steamed...?

Ok...duh...

I should have read BOTH pages I printed out instead of focusing on...

" I gotta get to the store before closing for waterchestnuts!"

I will steam then freeze;-)

I just put them on a non-stick cookie tray, or spray a tray with Pam. Freeze, then put them in a freezer bag and pull the air out so that they are like a vacuumed bag. Then take out as many as you wish. Easy!

Freezing the soaked, but uncooked, sticky rice allows the grains to dry out.

Jo-Ann

[Dejah]

Jo-Ann,

I made the Pearl Balls last night and they turned out very well.

My daughter said they looked like sea urchins!

I ran out of pre-soaked rice, so will finish the rest of the meat today.

However, I found the meatballs to be very soft and fine textured...not the same bouncy texture as the beef meat balls I make. Is that the way they are supposed to be? I have never had Pearl Balls before, so am not sure of the texture.

[Comfort Me]

The usual name for these meatballs is "Pearl Balls". I see from the recipe from Gourmet, that they use long grain rice. The traditional rice to use is glutinous rice -- also known as 'sticky' or 'sweet' rice. The composition of the glutinous rice is different from long grain and the cooked result is an opaque shiny pearl-like rice -- rather than plain white -- hence the name "Pearl Balls" --'Zhen Zhu Rou Wan'.

The recipe in Gourmet is pretty basic. I make mine using Chinese dried mushrooms, and recently have been adding Chinese sausage, which gives them a special flavor.

They are fun to make and make a great presentation when served from the bamboo basket in which they are steamed. Before they are steamed, they look pretty, sitting on the rice, but the lettuce loses its color after the steaming process -- ending kinda washed out.  The pearl balls can be steamed on waxed paper, but I prefer the lettuce. The rise IS indeed sticky, so they have to sit on something, and cannot be placed on the bamboo alone.

This recipe is a combo of one that I have developed over the years, adapted from several others:

PEARL BALLS

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked glutinous rice

lettuce leaves, or leafy substitute

Meatball Mixture:1 pound lean ground pork

                                8 dried Chinese mushrooms – soaked 30 minutes to rehydrate

                                8 canned waterchestnuts chopped, not too fine

                                ¼ cup bamboo shoots chopped same as water chestnuts

                                1 tsp. minced garlic

                                2 Tbsp. finely minced fresh ginger

                                2 whole scallions, minced

                                1 egg

                                1 ½ Tbsp. soy sauce

                                1 ½ Tbsp. sherry

                                1 tsp. sesame oil

                                OPT: 2 links Chinese pork sausage, soaked in hot water till soft, then chopped.fine.

Preparation:

  Rinse the rice and soak in cold water 2 to 3  hours.

  Rinse the mushrooms, cut out tough stem.  Chop fine.

  Combine meatball mixture and form into 1 inch balls.

  Drain rice and spread on a clean cloth towel, or paper towels.

  Roll meatballs, one at a time, over the rice – pressing lightly to make rice adhere.

Cooking:

--- Add water to a wok, up to one inch below the level of the food to be cooked.

                ----Bring water to a boil.

                ----Line the steamer racks with leafy greens or waxed paper.

                ----Place meatballs on lettuce – leaving ½ inch spaces.

                ----Place racks over the boiling water, cover, and steam for 30 minutes.

Notes:

    Pearl balls can be cooked a day ahead.  Steam only 20 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.  Re-steam 20 minutes before use.

    You can also steam them, then place them on a cookie sheet, and freeze. When frozen, place in a freezer bag. Resteam them, on lettuce, for 20 to 25 minutes.

Serving sauce:

                                Equal parts of soy sauce and vinegar.

                                Add sesame oil to taste. (opt.)

                                Add hot oil to give a kick (opt.)

                                Sprinkle with chopped scallion (opt.)

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Jo-mel:

Thank you so much for taking the time to type your recipe for everyone. I agree that the use of sticky rice makes for better and more attractive zhen zhu. (Although I also understand why Gourmet substituted, as I imagine it is hard to find sweet rice in small town America.)

THank you also for your instructions for freezing! Very helpful! I plan on adapting your recipe -- we are Jewish and don't eat pork, so I think I'll use equal parts veal and beef -- and will serve the zhen zhu on Sunday to my mah jong group with some steamed dumplings, rice, and maybe some rice noodles stuffed with chicken poached in soy sauce and sherry. (I just learned how to make my own rice noodles, so I can use the practice!)

Thanks again!

[Comfort Me]

I made a horrible mistake -- out of laziness and impatience -- which proved fatal. I didn't want to wait for veal to thaw, and I didn't want to run all the way to the butcher, so I made the balls with all beef. Not a good thing. The rice was brown from the meat juices, and it didn't really stick to the balls (sort of tearing off in large pieces). I attribute the color to either using all beef, which has more fat than pork, or maybe to the dark soy sauce I used.

I didn't throw them out -- my family will eat them -- but I'm certainly not planning to serve them to company. They were definitely brown.

The flavors in the meat were subtle and comforting -- and I liked the dipping sauce, though I added a teaspoon of sugar and a clove of garlic paste. I hope to make better in the future. Next time I will use half beef, half veal or turkey and see if the leaner mix solves my problem.