Lions Head Meat Balls - a great winter warmer.

A great thermos filler for winter, this is based on a recipe from a book called The Food Of China (Murdoch Books).  I mix the raw pork mixture in big batches and freeze it in lunch sized portions. That way I can pull out a serving the day before to defrost in the fridge. I also have adapted the ingredients a little, and the portions are approximate, if you are unsure, make a much smaller batch to start with.
Here is the version I use:

1 kg minced pork
2 egg
4 spring onions, chopped (I use shallots)
3 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine*
2 teaspoon grated ginger
4 tablespoons tamari
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 leaves of silverbeet (or similar), chopped finely
1 carrot, grated (you can use any vegetables you want as long as they are chopped finely or grated).

oil for frying
vegetable/chicken/meat stock – which ever you have handy.

Beat the eggs then add to the pork mince and mix well. Add the spring onion, rice wine, ginger, tamari, sugar and vegetables. Season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

At this point I divide it into lunch sized portions and freeze it.

Once the mixture is defrosted, roll into bite-sized balls and fry in oil. The oil needs to be hot enough to brown the balls, however you don’t need to ensure they are cooked all the way through. While you are cooking the balls, heat a thermos full of stock in a pot. As soon as the balls are browned, pop them into the stock and simmer for about 30 minutes. Pour into the thermos and put the lid on tightly.

A nice addition to this are some udon noodles.  Cook the udon noodles as per the instructions and rinse out in cold water. Place them in a serperate container so they can be added at lunch time. If you add them to the thermos in the morning, they will turn to mush.

One thing I’ve not tried, and that is to cook everything (except the noodles) and freeze the cooked portions – that way you could defrost overnight, and heat them in the morning – much less fussing around!

*Shaoxing rice wine can be found at Food Stuff in Mona Vale as well as most Asain grocery shops.