Chinese Five Spice Meatballs Wrapped in Cabbage

I woke up with a dim sum craving, which would be fine if I were still in New York, but here in East Farnham, Quebec it is a problem. Growing up in the Bay Area I had dim sum at least once a week but it's been at least three months since my last dim sum feast. While starring into the fridge trying to decide what semblance of dim sum I can concot, I spotted the ground beef and cabbage and remembered the beef balls my brother used to always order.

Now I have no idea what the recipe for those beef balls are but I'll bet it starts with ground beef. I had salvaged a packet of Chinese five spice powder from the onslaught of our moving out with the intention of making tea eggs with them, but the pu-erh tea container busted and we had to shake tea out of all our clothes back in Minnesota. Perhaps the beef and five spice powder will hit it off here in Canada?

What I ended up with wasn't exactly like the beef balls I remembered, but it was still tasty and I would definitely make it again. The beef I used was super lean and I think fattier ground beef would've worked better in getting the super soft texture I remember from those beef balls.


CHINESE FIVE SPICE MEATBALLS WRAPPED IN CABBAGE
(Serves 4)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1-2 eggs
• 1 heaping tablespoon of Chinese five spice powder (can be found in most Asian grocery stores, the five spices are cinnamon, anise, fennel, ginger and cloves)
• 1 piece of ginger root about the size of a thumb, peeled and chopped finely
• crushed red pepper and ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 water chestnuts, peeled and chopped finely (optional)
• cabbage leaves, about one small head (lettuce will work better though I've always liked the taste of cabbage more)

Rinse the cabbage leaves and tear off the stem. Set aside to drain

Mix the ground beef with all other ingredients.

Form a meatball about the size of a golf ball and wrap it in the cabbage. It doesn't have to be perfectly round or enclosed. The cabbage provides a bed for the beef so that it doesn't stick to the steamer, also because it is tasty and juicy. Arrange single layer in a steamer and steam covered on high heat for 5-7 minutes. It is done when the center of the meatball is not red.

(5-7 minutes doesn't sound like enough time to cook through a thick wad of meat, but if the meat is overcooked it will be tough)

(any leftover cabbage and the torn off stems can be turned into a stir fry or quick soup)