Savory and aromatic with a rich meat flavor, featuring a crispy, crunchy exterior and a soft, tender interior.
This is a classic old Beijing delicacy. Achieving crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside meatballs that stay crunchy for a while isn't easy, but it's not too difficult if you master a few key points. The unique texture and irresistibly smoky aroma of these dry-fried meatballs are sure to earn you praise from everyone at your holiday family feast.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
200 g (about 1/2 lb) ground pork
The ideal ratio for the most flavorful meatball mixture is 30% fat to 70% lean meat, so pork shoulder butt is the best choice, though pork belly, spare rib meat, or pork rump can also be used.
Seasonings
5 g (about 1 teaspoon) yellow soybean paste
3 g five-spice powder
2 g salt
30 g cornstarch
half an egg
50 g (about 1/4 cup) scallion-ginger water
Scallions, to taste
to taste
Sesame oil, to taste
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Slice the scallion and shred the ginger, place them in a bowl with enough water to soak for half an hour to make scallion-ginger water, set aside (Image 2).
*Finely mince the scallions and ginger as much as possible to help the water absorb their flavor more quickly, but don't chop them too fine, or it will be difficult to strain them out when extracting the water.
*Dry-Fried Little Meatballs are a dish meant to be eaten immediately after frying. To keep them looking appealing, avoid adding minced scallion and ginger directly to the meat mixture, as they tend to burn and turn black during frying, which not only looks unappealing but also creates a burnt flavor. Instead, use scallion-ginger water for the same seasoning effect without compromising the dish's appearance after frying.
Mix the meat filling: In a bowl, combine the ground meat with 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and 1 egg. Stir vigorously in one direction until the mixture is sticky and well-combined. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
② Stir in yellow soybean paste, five-spice powder, salt, and half an egg (Image 3) into the ground meat, then mix thoroughly in one direction.
*Do not add too much yellow soybean paste, otherwise the color will darken quickly during frying and the meatballs will turn black once cooked.
Slowly pour the scallion-ginger water into the cornstarch and stir to combine (Image 4), creating a starch slurry. Gradually add the slurry to the meat filling in batches, stirring quickly after each addition, and wait until each batch is fully absorbed before adding the next.
If you add more starch to the meatball mixture, the surface will become crispier after frying, but if you only use starch without adding water, the texture will be too hard and not tender enough, so it's best to use starch water.
*50g of scallion-ginger water may not all be used, or you may need more, as the quality of ground meat varies—some contain more moisture than others—so add enough scallion-ginger water until the mixture can be shaped into balls that hold their form without collapsing.
Finally, add some sesame oil and mix well (Image 5), then shape into small meatballs and place them on a lightly oiled plate for later use (Image 6).
*When mixing the meat filling, always stir in one direction from start to finish to develop the proper texture and binding.
Deep-fried meatballs
⑤ Pour plenty of oil into the wok and heat over high heat until it reaches about 60% hot (around 350°F/175°C). Add the small meatballs, then reduce the heat to medium and fry until the surface forms a hard crust. Use a wire skimmer to lift them out, then firmly tap each meatball with a spatula or spoon. Return the meatballs to the wok and fry again over medium heat until the outer shell is completely hard and crispy, then remove and drain (Figure 7).
*The oil temperature for deep-frying the meatballs should be maintained at around 50-60% of its maximum heat (about 300-350°F / 150-175°C), frying them slowly to allow the moisture inside to gradually release and the surface to form a firm, hard crust, which keeps the meatballs crispy on the outside for a much longer time; the entire frying process takes about 10 minutes. If you start with high heat and fry them aggressively, the surface will brown quickly and appear very hard, but once removed from the oil, the crust will immediately soften because the frying time was too short and the meatballs still contain too much moisture, which seeps out and softens the exterior.
*During the frying process, remove the meatballs and gently tap them to release trapped air; with less steam inside, the exterior stays crispy for much longer.
If you notice the meatballs are browning too quickly while frying, you can turn off the heat and let them fry for a bit before turning the heat back on.
This technique can be adapted for other dishes as well.
This method can be used for deep-frying all kinds of meatballs, just adjust the seasonings according to the type of meat and its flavor. For example, when making beef or lamb meatballs, since they have a stronger gamey taste, add more five-spice powder or make the scallion-ginger water more concentrated.
Take your cooking to the next level
The dipping sauce that pairs best with these dry-fried meatballs is undoubtedly Sichuan pepper-salt. How to make it? Heat a dry wok, add high-quality raw Sichuan peppercorns and salt, then dry-fry over low heat for a few minutes until the salt turns light yellow and becomes fragrant. Remove from the wok, let cool, then crush the mixture—and you have an excellent Sichuan pepper-salt dipping sauce ready to serve.