Celebrate the Lunar New Year with traditional Chinese pearl meatballs; steamed, juicy meatballs coated with sticky rice. Enjoy pearl rice meatballs as an appetizer with your choice of dipping sauce.
Want to try more delicious Chinese recipes? Check out my Daikon Congee with Braised Pork Belly, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Wontons in Chili Oil, and Crab Rangoon.
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Steam Chinese pearl meatballs to tender perfection for a chewy, satisfying appetizer or entree. Sticky glutinous rice absorbs the rich, savory flavor of marinated pork as it cooks. It’s the perfect blend of succulent ground pork, chewy mushrooms, and a symphony of savory sauces for amazing flavor and texture.
Why This Pearl Meatballs Recipe Works
- Great Party Appetizer – People love meatballs for their bite-sized nature, and these have an added appeal with their shiny glutinous rice coating.
- Easy to Make – Don’t worry about the prep time; it mostly involves hands-off steps, with the majority of the time dedicated to waiting for the ingredients to be ready for cooking. The cooking time is just 20 minutes if that.
- Super Flavorful – These aren’t typical meatballs. Pearl meatballs feature a bold flavor profile, blending savory, umami richness with subtle sweetness and a hint of nuttiness.
What are pearl meatballs?
Pearl meatballs (zhēn zhū wán zi) are steamed meatballs coated in sticky rice. This authentic dim sum dish originated in the Hubei/Hunan province of China. They are usually served on birthdays and holidays like the Chinese New Year (sometime between late January and mid-February, depending on the year).
Tools You’ll Need
Ingredients You Will Need for Chinese Pearl Meatballs
Each ingredient listed adds another dimension of mouthwatering flavor and satisfying texture to this dish.
Rice
- Glutinous rice – This rice is also known as sticky rice. It coats the meatballs for a soft, gooey texture. I use Three Sisters brand.
- Kosher salt – Use Diamond Crystal.
Meatballs
- Ground pork – This meat is naturally flavorful, moist, and absorbs seasoning well.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms – They have a deep umami flavor and are super aromatic. Remove the stems and finely chop them before rehydrating. Reserve a portion of the stock.
- Garlic cloves – Grated.
- Scallions – Finely chopped, for easy mixing.
- Shiitake stock – Saved from rehydrating mushrooms.
- Fresh ginger – Use minced ginger.
- Egg white – This keeps the meatballs from falling apart.
- Light soy sauce – This has a lighter color and a milder, saltier taste compared to its dark counterpart.
- Sesame oil – This infuses the meatballs with a toasted, nutty quality.
- Shoaxing wine – This wine is made from fermented rice and adds a subtle sweetness.
- Potato starch – This binding ingredient absorbs and holds onto moisture for juicy meatballs.
- Sugar – This balances the savory flavors and enhances the overall taste.
- Kosher salt – I use Diamond Crystal brand.
- White pepper – This adds mild heat and complements the other flavors.
- Napa cabbage leaves – Use them to line the steamer baskets. This prevents the meatballs from sticking together.
Dippings
- Karashi – This is a Japanese spicy yellow mustard.
- Yuzu kosho – This is a fermented paste made with yuzu peel, chili peppers, and salt.
- Scallions – This is an optional garnish.
How To Make Pearl Meatballs
Making these Chinese meatballs involves some prep work so plan ahead.
- Rehydrate shiitake mushrooms. Place dried shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover the mushrooms (they will float at first and then absorb the water as they rehydrate). Cover bowl with a plate and leave for 20 minutes.
- Prepare rice. Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Transfer cleaned rice to a bowl and fill with water, about 1 inch above rice. Leave to soak for 2 hours. While rice is soaking, prepare the meatballs.
- Prepare meatballs. Add all meatball ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Mix well until the mixture is shiny and has a squeaky sound when mixed. This should take about 5 minutes. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.
4. Prepare steamer. Prepare a pan or pot that will fit the steamer baskets. Add enough water for the steamers to cook for about 20 mins. Next, prepare a bamboo steamer lined with napa cabbage or parchment paper with holes. Heat water over medium heat while you work on meatballs.
5. Make pearl meatballs. Drain the rice well. I transfer rice to a sieve and leave to drain for a few minutes. Transfer well-drained rice to a shallow bowl and add salt. Stir to combine well.
6. Remove meatballs from the refrigerator. Divide meatballs into 16 balls then roll in the rice until completely covered.
Transfer to the prepared steamer basket leaving some space between each meatball. Each basket should have 8 meatballs.
7. Carefully place bamboo steamers over the pan and cook for 16-18 minutes or until meatballs and rice are cooked through.
8. Garnish with scallions (optional) and finally, enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Wash the rice 3-4 times or until the water runs clear. Glutinous rice contains a higher amount of starch compared to regular rice. Rinsing helps remove some of this excess surface starch, which can make the rice less sticky and prevent it from becoming overly gummy or mushy during cooking.
- Mix the meatball mixture well. I use a mix-and-squeeze method to incorporate the ingredients together.
- Do not skip the soaking step for the rice. The rice won’t cook in the steamer if you don’t soak it first.
- This recipe requires patience because there is a significant amount of waiting time. The rice needs to be soaked for 2 hours but preferably overnight. The meatballs must marinate for 1 hour so the flavors can meld.
- Completely coat the meatballs with sticky rice. This makes for better presentation and texture.
- Remember to line the steaming basket with either napa cabbage leaves, bamboo leaves, or parchment paper. Otherwise, the glutinous rice will stick to the surface.
- Leave some space between each meatball in the steamer basket. This prevents them from sticking together.
Variations
- Meat – Use ground chicken or turkey instead of pork.
- Starch – You can substitute potato starch with corn starch.
- Wine – If you have trouble finding Shaoxing wine, sake or mirin will work as substitutes. Just keep in mind that they will slightly alter the taste of the final dish. Use chicken broth as a nonalcoholic alternative.
- Steamer Lining – If you don’t have napa cabbage leaves, use parchment paper to line the steamer. You can also use bamboo leaves but they have to be soaked in advance so they are pliable enough to fit into the baskets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are they called pearl meatballs?
The meatballs are rolled in rice so they look like pearls, hence the name.
Do I have to use a bamboo steamer to make Chinese meatballs?
Although traditionally made in bamboo steamers, you can another kind of steamer, such as metal or silicone steamers, to achieve similar results. The key is to ensure effective steaming, regardless of the kind you choose.
How do you steam meatballs without a steamer?
To steam pearl meatballs without a steamer, place them on a heatproof plate in a pot with about an inch of water. Cover the pot with a lid, simmer on the stove, and steam for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
How to make Chinese pork balls?
Soak glutinous rice up to 1 day in advance. Mix ground pork with the other ingredients. After marinating the mixture for 1 hour, form meatballs. Then coat the meatballs with glutinous rice to create a pearl-like layer. Steam the meatballs until cooked through, and serve with a dipping sauce of your choice.
What are traditional meatballs made of?
Make traditional meatballs by combining ground meat, such as beef, pork, or a combination of both, with ingredients like breadcrumbs, eggs, minced garlic, fresh herbs (like parsley), and various spices. After shaping the mixture into balls, individuals proceed to bake, fry, or simmer them in a sauce until they are cooked through.
Looking for More Tasty Pork Recipes?
- Filipino BBQ (Pork Skewers)
- Pork Belly Lechon
- Pan Seared Pork Chops
- Pork Lumpia Shanghai
- Filipino Pork Adobo
- Caramelized Ginger Pork
Loving this Chinese Pearl Meatballs Recipe?
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Chinese Pearl Meatballs
Equipment
- Bamboo Steamer
- Sauté pan
- Sieve
Ingredients
Rice
- ¾ cup glutinous rice, I use Three Sisters brand
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, Diamond Crystal
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground pork
- ¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms, steams removed and finely chopped, rehydrated and stock reserved
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 2½ tablespoons scallions, finely chopped,
- 1 tablespoon shiitake stock, saved from rehydrating mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon shoaxing wine
- 2½ teaspoons potato starch
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, Diamond Crystal
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- napa cabbage leaves, to line steamer baskets
Dippings
- karashi
- yuzu kosho
- scallions (optional), for garnish
Instructions
- Rehydrate shiitake mushrooms. Place dried shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover the mushrooms (they will float at first and then absorb the water as they rehydrate). Cover bowl with a plate and leave for 20 minutes.
- Prepare rice. Wash the rice 3-4 times or until the water runs clear.Transfer cleaned rice to a bowl and fill with water, about 1 inch above rice. Leave to soak for 2 hours. While rice is soaking, prepare the meatballs.
- Prepare meatballs. Add all meatball ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl (pork, shiitake mushrooms and stock, garlic, scallions, ginger, egg white, soy sauce, sesame oil, shoaxing wine, potato starch, sugar, salt, pepper). Mix well until the mixture is shiny and has a squeaky sound when mixed, it takes about 5-6 minutes. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.I use a mix and squeeze method when mixing to really incorporate the ingredients together.
- Prepare steamer. Prepare a pan or pot that will fit the steamer baskets. Add enough water for the steamers to cook for about 20 mins. Next, prepare a bamboo steamer lined with napa cabbage or parchment paper with holes. Heat water over medium heat while you work on meatballs.
- Make pearl meatballs. Drain the rice well. I transfer rice to a sieve and leave to drain for a few minutes. Transfer well-drained rice to a shallow bowl and add salt. Stir to combine well.
- Remove meatballs from the refrigerator. Divide meatballs into 16 balls then roll in the rice until completely covered. Transfer to the prepared steamer basket leaving some space between each meatball. Each basket should have 8 meatballs.
- Carefully place bamboo steamers over the pan and cook for 16-18 minutes or until meatballs and rice are cooked through.
- Garnish with scallions (optional) and enjoy!
