My mom’s a really good cook. I can only wish to be as good as her. We’re a Chinese family…well, mostly. My dad was born in Japan, and my mom was born in South Korea, but our ancestry is primarily Chinese. Growing up in Los Angeles, we ate a real mix of food. My parents arrived in LA in the mid-’70s, and you know, they tried their absolute darnedest to integrate into American culture. They did their best to make sure my brother and I didn’t feel like we stuck out like sore thumbs.
For school lunches, I remember getting a carton of Hi-C (specifically the Ghostbusters Slimer one), a sandwich, and a Twinkie (or sometimes a Zinger). I have to say, with English being my mom’s second language, she did her damn best. I can’t imagine being my age now, moving to a completely different country, and learning a new language…it just seems so hard.
Regardless of where my parents were born, my grandparents on both sides, except for my paternal grandfather, who was born in Japan, were born in China. My mom grew up with a mother who also loved to cook. Given her own personal experiences growing up in South Korea and going to college in Japan, I think my mom’s Chinese dishes have a little bit of influence from those cuisines, too.
The cool thing about my mom is that she’s always curious. Even today, she’s always watching some sort of cooking show or YouTube video, learning a new recipe. She’s meticulous and incredibly detailed. Even when she’s just prepping the veggies and the meat, you can see and feel her laser-sharp focus. You can tell she really gets deep satisfaction out of making a meal.
Out of all my mom’s dishes, Lion’s Head or Shīzitóu is probably my absolute favorite. I know there are different ways of making it depending on where you come from in China, but the way she makes it is with pork meatballs in a soup broth, served over a bed of Napa cabbage. Here’s a link to her recipe.
Part of this is me finally learning about this favorite dish of mine. Honestly, up until now, and I’m in my 40s…I really didn’t know anything about it. So, here is what I’ve learned from a bunch of Google searches.
According to my searches, here are the two English-language recipes:
| Blog Name | Recipe Name | Location / Published In | Hyperlink |
| Christine’s Recipes | Lion’s Head Meatballs (Chinese New Year) | Australia | View Recipe |
| The Kitchn | Lion’s Head Meatballs Recipe | United States | View Recipe |
| 12 Tomatoes | Lion’s Head Meatballs | United States | View Recipe |
| Eat Drink Films | Shanghainese “Lion’s Head” Meatballs | United States | View Recipe |
| Feasts of Good Fortune | Lion’s Head Meatballs | United States | View Recipe |
| Omnivore’s Cookbook | Lion’s Head Pork Meatballs (狮子头) | United States | View Recipe |
| The Seasoned Wok | Braised Lion’s Head Meatballs – Shizitou | United States | View Recipe |
| The Lemon Apron | Lion’s Head Meatballs | Canada | View Recipe |
| Foodwise | Lion’s Head Meatballs | United States | View Recipe |
| Food Network | Lion Head Meatballs Recipe | United States | View Recipe |
The commonalities across these recipes really don’t go far out of range from each other. The large majority call for the same ingredients.
Core Ingredients
- Fatty Ground Pork: The non-negotiable base. Recipes heavily recommend a high fat-to-lean ratio (usually 70/30 or 80/20) to ensure the meatballs are melt-in-your-mouth tender rather than dense.
- Crunchy Mix-ins: Finely diced water chestnuts are almost universally included to provide a crisp, textural contrast to the soft pork.
- Aromatics: Minced ginger and scallions (green onions) are the foundational aromatics mixed directly into the meat.
- The “Mane”: Napa cabbage or baby bok choy is always used as a bed for the meatballs, representing the lion’s mane and soaking up the savory broth.
- Classic Seasonings: Light soy sauce, dark soy sauce (for rich color), Shaoxing cooking wine, toasted sesame oil, and white pepper appear in nearly every ingredient list.
- Binders: Egg and cornstarch are used together to help hold the massive meatballs intact.
- Liquid Infusion: Many recipes add ginger-scallion water or chicken broth directly into the raw meat mixture to maximize juiciness.
Techniques & Preparation
- One-Direction Mixing: A vital technique highlighted across recipes is stirring the meat mixture continuously in one direction until it develops a sticky, paste-like protein structure.
- Oversized Portions: The meatballs are formed exceptionally large—usually the size of a tennis ball or baseball, often yielding exactly four large meatballs per batch.
- Hand Tossing: Throwing the formed meat mixture back and forth between wet hands is a common step to expel air pockets and firm up the shape.
- Two-Stage Cooking: Almost all recipes utilize a two-step method: first browning the exterior, then slowly braising the interior.
- Searing/Frying: Pan-frying or lightly deep-frying the meatballs creates a crust that “sets” the shape so they don’t disintegrate in the liquid.
Cooking Style & Equipment
- Red-Braising (Hongshao): The predominant style among these popular recipes is braising the meatballs in a dark, savory, soy-based broth, rather than the clear-broth (Qingdun) variation.
- Gentle Simmering: Once the broth is added, the cooking shifts to a low, gentle, covered simmer to tenderize the meat without breaking it apart.
- Vessel of Choice: Heavy-bottomed pots, Dutch ovens, or traditional Chinese clay pots are highly recommended for even heat distribution.
Timing & Serving
- Active Prep Time: Expect 20 to 30 minutes of active prep, mostly dedicated to mincing the water chestnuts/aromatics and vigorously whipping the meat.
- Braising Time: The simmer takes anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes to achieve the signature delicate, soft texture.
- Serving Style: Universally served hot over steamed white rice, with the reduced, thickened braising liquid spooned generously over the meatballs and cabbage.
Nai Nai’s Lion’s Head (Shīzitóu)
Yeap, I’m so obsessed that I made merch. The Chinese characters say “Shīzitóu” or “Lion’s Head” meatball. And “Baba” means “dad” in Chinese. Check ’em out!