Lion’s Head Meatballs with Bulgogi Sauce
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A meatball dish like these Lion’s Head Meatballs is my go-to recipe when the days are long and I have no idea what to cook for dinner. Filipinos call meatballs ‘bola-bola’ because of its obvious ball-shape. I made gigantic ones, nearly the size of golf balls. Even better, I poured a sweet Bulgogi sauce over it, which made this a winner at the dinner table.
Why You Will Like This Recipe
Aside from this being an easy recipe to put together, the sweet-flavored Bulgogi sauce over the hefty, filling meatballs makes for a satisfying dinner that can easily transcend from a weekend meal to a get-together of friends anytime. And it can pair easily with other vegetable sides because of the meatballs’ sweet-savory flavors. You can serve this anytime as an appetizer, a main course or a side.
On days you have time, you can even make these meatballs ahead, freeze them and thaw on the day of you need it for a meal.
Ingredients You Need
Most of the ingredients may already be in your pantry or refrigerator.
For the meatballs:
Ground pork – or use a combination of pork and beef
Scallions
Eggs
Breadcrumbs
Rice Wine
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
For the Bulgogi Sauce:
Soy sauce
Calamansi juice
Brown sugar
Honey
Rice Wine
Pork, Chicken or Beef broth
Garlic
Fresh ginger
The Process
You only need to put together the ingredients for the meatballs, shape them and let cool in the refrigerator for half an hour or longer if you wish.
Then pan fry the meatballs till completely cooked.
While the meatballs are frying, simmer the ingredients for the sauce.
Plate the meatballs and pour the sweet Bulgogi sauce over it.
What To Serve With the Lion’s Head Meatballs with Bulgogi Sauce
This is a sweet-flavored entrée, so it’s a good idea to serve this with steamed rice and vegetable greens on the side, whether a crisp salad or perhaps blanched spinach with a splash of oyster sauce.
This is exactly the kind of meatballs meal you didn’t think you needed till now.
Lion’s Head Meatballs with Bulgogi Sauce
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Large skillet – 12 to 14 inches diameter
- Medium-sized saucepan
- Slotted spoon
- Cooking spoon
Ingredients
For the Lion's Head Meatballs:
- 1.5 pounds ground meat; use all-pork, or combination of pork and beef
- 2 stalks scallions whites, chopped; separate the scallion greens for garnish
- 2 whole large eggs
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, plain-flavor
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon shao xing rice wine
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, (Philippine brand or Chinese brand)
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
For the Bulgogi Sauce:
- 4 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon calamansi or lemon juice; fresh or bottled
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon shao xing rice wine
- 1 cup broth; use Pork, Chicken or Beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
For garnish:
- 2 stalks scallion greens, chopped
For serving:
- steamed white rice
Instructions
To cook the Lion's Head Meatballs:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat,, scallion whites, eggs, rice wine, soy sauce, shao xing rice wine, sugar, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Mix everything well till ingredients are incorporated.Shape each meatball round and like the size of a round golf, or about 2-inches in diameter.Place the meatballs on a platter and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the oil. When oil is hot enough, in about 2 to 3 minutes, add the meatballs, using a slotted spoon.Braise the meatballs in the skillet. Turn them around using the spoon, for the meat to cook evenly, inside and outside. Cook the meatballs for about 18 to 20 minutes till completely done.
To cook the Bulgogi Sauce:
- While the meatballs are braising, start cooking the Bulgogi sauce.In a medium-sized saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients: soy sauce, calamansi or lemon juice, brown sugar, honey, rice wine, broth, minced garlic, fresh ginger. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the ingredients. Allow the sauce to come to a boil. Then lower heat to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes more for flavors to blend well.
To combine the Meatballs and the Sauce:
- Pour the sauce over the braised meatballs in the large skillet.Serve on a rimmed platter, family -style. Garnish with chopped scallion greens.Serve warm with rice.
Cook's comments:
- Storage: Store leftover meatballs in a covered container. These can keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. In the freezer, they can be kept in a plastic, air-tight container for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
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