Braised Lion's Matzo Balls 紅燒猶太獅子頭
Passover is here. Every year, playing with matzah to make something delicious and fun is something I enjoy so much to do. Most of the time, I love to incorporate some dishes I love growing up with passover friendly dishes.
This braised lion’s matzo ball recipe is inspired by a traditional Chinese dish- Lion’s Head. It’s one of my sister’s favorite dishes, and I make it every year for her during Lunar New Year. For this Passover, I am swaping the meatball with matzo ball- braised with spicy bean paste and broth, the dish is flavorful and aromatic. I serve mine with rice; HOWEVER I uderstand for some part of the Jewish community, rice is not Passover-friendly, if that’s you, it’s okay! This dish tastes equally delicious without rice for sure!
Lion’s Matzo Ball 猶太獅子頭
Yield about 5-6 people
Soup Ingredients
Chili bean paste, 90g
Garlic, 6-8 cloves, minced
Dark soy sauce, 40-44g
Rice liquor, 30g
Dark rice vinegar, 20g
Sugar, 20g
Vegetable broth, 800g + 30g
Napa cabbage, 600g, halve vertically
Corn starch, 20g
Matzo ball ingredients (yield about 21 balls)
Matzo meal 125g
White pepper, 2g
Salt, 2g
Red chili, seeded and finely chopped, 15-20g
Eggs 3
Sesame oil, 45g
Sparkling water ½ cup
Instructions
Mix all the matzo ball ingredients together, cover, set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salt water to boil, prepare a small bowl of water on the side to use to wet the hands. Take about 1 TBS of the matzo mixture and shape it into a smooth ball. Carefully place the ball into the pot of boiling water and repeat for the rest of the matzo mixture. Wet your hands as you go so it won’t stick to your hands. Once all the balls are in the pot, bring it back to a simmer, and lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook for about an hour. Off heat, sit for 10-15 minutes before uncovering the pot. Set aside to cool.
Once the matzo ball is cool enough to handle, take one halved cabbage, start from the stem side, wrap around the matzo ball. It should be snugged but not too tight to break the ball. Place the wrapped matzo ball into a dutch oven. Repeat for the rest of the batch.
Mix all the soup ingredients together and evenly pour the mixture onto the matzo balls in the dutch oven, over medium heat bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, lower the heat to medium low and cook for about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
** to get ahead- matzo balls can be made a day ahead. Store the matzo balls in an airtight container together with some cooking liquid. When ready to serve, warm them up with some soup in a small pot.
