Three large glossy braised meatballs in dark brown sauce with leafy greens on a white plate, with chopsticks and noodles behind. — Photo: MCB (Michael C. Berch) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Chinese · Lunch · Dinner

Lion's Head Meatballs

Name: Lion's Head Meatballs
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 80 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 500 g (1.1 lb) lean ground pork (90% lean); 2/3 cup canned water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped; 2 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated; 3 medium scallions, finely sliced; 1 large egg; 3 tbsp reduced-sodium light soy sauce; 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 5 tbsp cold water; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1/4 tsp ground white pepper; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; 1 small head napa cabbage; 1 tbsp canola oil; 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

红烧狮子头 (Hóngshāo Shīzitóu)

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 20, 2026 · How we make recipes

Large, tender pork meatballs flecked with crunchy water chestnut and ginger, slowly braised on a bed of sweet napa cabbage in a savoury soy broth. This lighter take uses lean pork and plenty of cabbage, so it stays comforting without feeling heavy.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 55 min
Total: 80 min
Serves: 4

Medium
Dairy Free
High protein
Low Carb

21%

Per serving426kcal21% of a 2,000 kcal day

31gProtein

18gCarbs

27gFat

4gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 16% · Fat 56% · Protein 28%

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

500 g (1.1 lb)lean ground pork (90% lean)
2/3 cup100 gcanned water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
2 1/2 tbsp15 gfresh ginger, finely grated
3 medium45 gscallions, finely sliced
1 large50 gegg
3 tbsp48 greduced-sodium light soy sauce
2 tbsp30 gShaoxing rice wine
2 tbsp16 gcornstarch
5 tbsp75 gcold water
1 tsp5 gtoasted sesame oil
1/4 tspground white pepper
1/4 tspsalt
1 tspsugar
1 small head800 gnapa cabbage
1 tbsp14 gcanola oil
2 cups480 glow-sodium chicken broth

Steps

1
Cut the napa cabbage into large pieces, keeping 4 whole outer leaves aside for covering the meatballs.
2
In a large bowl, combine the pork, water chestnuts, ginger, scallions, egg, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 1 tbsp cornstarch, sesame oil, white pepper and salt.
3
Add 3 tbsp of the cold water a little at a time, stirring firmly in one direction for 2-3 minutes until the mixture turns sticky and springy.
4
Wet your hands and shape the mixture into 8 large, smooth balls, tossing each gently between your palms to firm it up.
5
Heat the canola oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs for about 6 minutes, turning carefully, until golden on all sides.
6
Spread the chopped cabbage in the bottom of a clay pot or Dutch oven and set the browned meatballs on top.
7
Stir the broth with the remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce, remaining 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine and the sugar, then pour it over the meatballs.
8
Lay the reserved whole cabbage leaves over the meatballs like a blanket and bring to a boil.
9
Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 45 minutes, until the meatballs reach 71 °C / 160 °F in the centre and the cabbage is silky.
10
Lift the meatballs and cabbage into serving bowls.
11
Mix the remaining 1 tbsp cornstarch with the remaining 2 tbsp cold water, stir it into the simmering broth and cook for 1 minute until lightly thickened.
12
Spoon the sauce over the meatballs and cabbage and serve.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

For a gluten-free version, use tamari labelled gluten-free instead of soy sauce, dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine, and a chicken broth labelled gluten-free.
Swap the ground pork for ground chicken or turkey thigh for a milder meatball that still stays juicy; simmer until the centre reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.
Use finely chopped jicama if you can't find canned water chestnuts; it gives a similar crunch.
Replace the napa cabbage with halved baby bok choy, adding it for the last 10 minutes so it stays tender-crisp.

Storage

Cool and refrigerate the meatballs in their sauce within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating gently until steaming hot all the way through. The meatballs and sauce can be frozen for up to 2 months, but the cabbage turns mushy, so freeze them without it and add fresh cabbage when reheating.

Make ahead

Mix and shape the raw meatballs up to 1 day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge until browning. You can also braise the whole dish a day in advance, refrigerate it, and reheat until steaming hot before thickening the sauce.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: GlutenSoyEggsSesameSulphitesCelery

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (546 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	426 kcal	78 kcal
Protein	30.5 g	5.6 g
Carbohydrates	17.7 g	3.2 g
of which sugars	5.2 g	1 g
Fiber	3.5 g	0.6 g
Fat	27 g	4.9 g
of which saturated	7.3 g	1.3 g
Sodium	785 mg	144 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.