Beef meatballs are a popular dish in southern China, especially around Hong Kong. They are made from finely pulverized beef and can be used in soups, stews, or as dim sum. The texture is different from typical meatballs due to the fine paste, and they are often eaten in restaurants or bought frozen. They are commonly used in Chinese pot and mixed broths, and are served in dim sum as well.
Beef meatballs are a variety of meatballs made with finely pulverized beef and flavoring most commonly eaten in the southern part of China. They are especially popular in the areas surrounding Hong Kong. Normally the size of a walnut, they look similar to fish balls but are darker in color. They also have similar uses as fish and shrimp balls and can be used in soups or stews or rolled into a wrap and cooked as dim sum. Because the process of pulverizing meat can be time-consuming, meatballs are often eaten in restaurants or bought frozen at grocery stores.
The texture of a beef ball differs from the texture of a typical meatball because the meat in a beef ball is beaten into a fine paste. Most meatballs are made with ground beef, not beaten, and don’t have a fine texture like you find in meatballs. The texture of the meat in a beef ball is closer to chicken nuggets or mechanically separated processed chicken than typical ground beef patties.
Like fish and shrimp balls, beef balls are popular in soups and china pot, a type of stew that’s cooked right at the dinner table. A simmering pot of broth is placed in the center of the table and the ingredients are placed in the broth and allowed to cook. In addition to the meatball, other common ingredients added to Chinese pot include frozen meat, seafood, and thinly sliced vegetables. Leafy greens like spinach and bok choy and several varieties of mushrooms are also popular ingredients to add to a Chinese hot pot.
When used in soups, meatballs usually accompany a similar type of broth. Fish broth would require a fish ball just as beef broth would require the use of a beef ball and mixed broths often have different types of balls. A popular type of soup in Hong Kong mixes both beef balls and fish balls in a mixed broth.
Beef ball is also a popular ingredient used in dim sum, a type of appetizer or small serving item. It is often steamed or fried, most often over cabbage or inside an egg wrap or roll. The most popular way to serve a beef ball in dim sum is to steam a marinated beef ball on top of a large cabbage leaf. At a dim sum meal, diners would consume multiple plates of dim sum until they are full. Dim sum is usually served on small plates and is designed to be eaten in one or two bites.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
