Pearl meatballs (珍珠肉丸)

This is a Cantonese dim sum. The glutinous rice looks like little pearls studded all over super scrumptious meatballs. You can find these in many dim sum restaurants, they are dead easy to make at home.


Recipe will feed 2 very hungry people to 4 light eaters.

Ingredients:

A.
150g of glutinous rice or sticky rice

B.
300 - 350g minced pork
100g raw peeled prawns, chopped
10 - 12g dried shitake mushrooms (about 2 - 3 mushrooms), soaked and finely chopped
2 tsp of grated ginger
1 egg white, beaten
1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
1.5 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1 tbsp of shaoshing wine
pinch of ground pepper

C.
about 3 tbsp of chopped spring onion
few sprigs of coriander, chopped
about 5 peeled and chopped water chestnuts (about 1/4 cup when chopped), best use fresh. Can sub with chopped carrot


Method:

1. Soak the rice for 3 - 4 hours. Then drain thoroughly for use.
   
2. Mix B together and leave in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours. After that mix in C.
   
3. Divide the meat mixture into 18 - 20 portions and roll into meatballs.
4. Coat the meatballs with as much rice as you can
5. Put meatballs on a shallow dish or a paper lined bamboo steamer and steam for about 20 - 25 minutes or till the rice is cooked (translucent) and fluffed up like spiky pearls.
   
6. Eat immediately while hot on its own or dip in any of your favourite sauce, soy, chilli etc...... Any left over can be re-steamed, don't microwave or the rice will be chewy.