Springy Pork Meatballs (Stand Mixer Version)
q弹肉丸丸（厨师机版） · pan chinese cuisine
The author made this recipe twenty-odd times before getting consistently springy results. All ingredient amounts are calculated as percentages of the meat's weight — for example, with 100 g of pork, 20% ice water means 20 g. Lean pork is used with a little homemade scallion/ spice-infused oil to remove gaminess; half-fatty pork also works if the fat is minced as finely as possible. A 1:1 mix of lean pork and chicken breast gives a surprising fish-ball-like texture. To keep the paste cold in summer, chill or briefly freeze the meat, strap ice packs to the mixer bowl (or chill a frozen bowl), and work in an air-conditioned room if possible; if the paste warms up, pause and return it to the freezer. The finished paste should still feel cold to the touch. The author uses a meat grinder attachment rather than a high-speed blender, and finds that adding ice water while grinding makes the paste much finer.
Dottie LangfordRetired schoolteacher in Ohio who lives for church-potluck casseroles and my grandma's butter rolls. If it bakes in a 9x13 pan, I've probably made it twice.Nutrition & allergens
Contains:SoyWheat
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- Unknown
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
Lean ground pork瘦猪肉末
3.53 oz
salt盐
0.05 oz
0.02 oz
tapioca starch木薯淀粉
0.18 oz
0.04 oz
0.71 oz
as needed
as needed
to taste
to taste
white pepper白胡椒
to taste
baking soda小苏打
to taste
0.04 oz
Techniques you'll use
- Making scallion oil ↗
Infuse oil with scallions and stop at golden edges, before bitterness develops.
- Simmering (dun) ↗
Gentle low-heat cooking in liquid until flavors merge and meat softens.
Steps
Prep: Rinse fresh pork, drain well, cut into small pieces, and refrigerate sealed at near-freezing (about 0 C / 32 F) for several hours. Half an hour to an hour before grinding, freeze a bowl of water (based on the meat's weight) until a thin layer of ice slush forms on the surface. Put the chilled pork into the grinder with the prepared ice water and grind to a fine paste — adding the water keeps the meat from heating up and makes the paste much finer. Seal and refrigerate the paste again at near-freezing for several hours. Separately, prepare a flavored oil for removing gaminess (the author uses a small bottle of fried onion oil; scallion oil or oil fried with aromatics like scallion, ginger, and garlic also work). Just before making the meatballs, the author also freezes the paste in the freezer for 30 to 40 minutes.
✅ Done when: The meat is a fine, uniform paste and still feels cold to the touch after chilling.
- 2
Step 220 min
Off heat
Weigh the salt, flavored oil, baking powder, and any seasonings (everything except the starch) into the stand mixer bowl, add the meat paste, and mix at low speed with the K paddle until combined. Beat at medium-high until the paste turns gluey and pulls in strings from the paddle. Add the weighed tapioca starch, mix in at low speed, then beat at medium-high for roughly ten to twenty minutes, until the paste is thick and gluey and pulls longer, stickier strings than before the starch was added. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and fold from the bottom partway through so everything blends evenly. If the mixture warms up, stop and chill it in the freezer before continuing; the finished paste should still feel slightly cold to the touch.
✅ Done when: The paste is viscous and gluey, pulling long, sticky strings off the paddle.
Cook the meatballs: Heat a pot of water until small bubbles just form at the bottom — do not boil — then turn off the heat. Fold the paste with a spatula, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing from the bottom. Squeeze meatballs out between your thumb and index finger, dip a spoon in the pot water, and scrape each ball into the pot, repeating continuously. Once all are added, bring the water to a boil and cook for about ten minutes, gently swirling the pot as it heats so the meatballs do not stick, and once they are slightly set, nudge them with a spatula to keep them off the bottom. Scoop the cooked meatballs out with a skimmer, rinse off any foam, and drop them into ice water with plenty of ice to chill quickly. Drain and store in the freezer.
✅ Done when: The meatballs float when they go into the water and are cooked through after about ten minutes of simmering.
- 4
Step 4
Optional variation: Once the meat paste is finished, you may fold in finely minced add-ins of your choice, such as scallions or shiitake mushrooms. Mix in at low speed just until combined — use a moderate amount only, as too much affects the texture. Always add them at the very end, after the paste is fully beaten.
✅ Done when: The add-ins are evenly distributed through the paste after a brief low-speed mix.