Edible Portland Piece on Chinese New Year

I think this piece counts toward my coming out of "retirement": I was asked to write a story about Chinese New Year for Edible Portland. This was the result. You have to scroll to page 42. I hope you enjoy. Story.

Here's a simple recipe for Chinese New Year:

‘LION’S HEAD’ MEATBALL STEW

SERVES 4 AS PART OF A MEAL

1 pound ground pork

2 stalks green onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon white pepper

Plain vegetable oil for pan-frying

1 head of Chinese cabbage (about 1 pound)

1 bunch dried cellophane noodles

In a bowl, combine the ground pork, chopped green onions, soy sauce and white pepper. Mix well. Form meatballs using about 3 heaping tablespoons of meat. Brown the meatballs in oil in a pan. You don’t have to cook them all the way through. Place the meatballs in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Once all the meatballs are browned, add enough water to the pot just to cover the meatballs. Bring to a boil and then turn the pot down to medium low and let simmer for about 1 hour, or until the flavor of the broth has developed.

Meanwhile, cut the cabbage leaves into 1 ½-inch (approximately) squares. Add the cabbage to the pot, adding a touch of water if necessary, and let it cook down. The cabbage will shrink in size once tender. About 10 minutes before taking the pot off the stove, add the cellophane noodles to the pot to cook. Taste for seasoning. If necessary, add a touch of salt. Serve as part of a meal with rice.

Update on 2015-03-02 19:13 by Hsiao-Ching Chou

The link to Edible Portland is no longer active. Please visit my updated post here.