Growing up, my mum was not a good cook and many nights we would have burnt food or pizza delivery. There were a couple of dishes she had mastered and shared with me. The one that made the most impression on me was the pearl balls. They are steamed meatballs covered in glutinous rice resembling giant balls of pearls. The juicy meatballs with the slight chew from the sticky rice makes them a perfect bite. This dish is simple to put together but the only step that needs to be done ahead of time is presoaking the glutinous rice for at least 4 hours. After that, this dish can be assembled in minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken thigh or ground pork
- 1/4 cup scallions thinly sliced
- 3/4 cups of glutinous rice
- 1/8 tsp five spice seasoning
- 1.5 tsp salt or to taste
In a medium bowl, place the glutinous rice and cover the rice with cold water. Set aside for 4 hours or leave in the refrigerator overnight. Pour the soaked rice into a strainer and pat dry with a paper towel. Transfer the rice onto a plate.
For the meat mixture, combine the ground chicken, scallions, five spice powder and salt. Five spice is a spice mixture consisting of cinnamon, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel and cloves. It's strong so you only need a tiny bit or else the flavor can dominate the dish. Gently combine the ingredients together.
Using a small ice cream scooper or a tablespoon, portion out the meat mixture into 1.5" diameter balls. Drop them onto the rice and roll the meatballs, coating them with the grains of rice.
Place the meatballs onto a steamer coated with some oil or lined with parchment to prevent the rice from sticking and place over simmering water and steam for 10-15 minutes or until the grains of rice are tender. These meatballs are tasty on their own or serve with a side of Sriracha sauce.
