How to Cook Ba-wan (Taiwanese Meatballs) -here is another
Asian dish that you will surely love, the Ba-wan or what we call Taiwanese
meatballs. This is not your ordinary meatballs because it consists of different
flours and has bamboo shoots. As we know, bamboo is a native grass of many
countries in Asia especially in the South-East
part. Taiwan
is one of those countries (if I am not wrong) so they have this great way of
cooking dish with bamboo shoot. Cooking Ba-wan with bamboo shoot has two
objectives; to serve as extenders and also to give unique taste to your
meatballs. In this recipe, I am also giving you the procedure how to make a
very delicious sauce for your meatballs. This is also great for your ordinary meatballs.
So here is how to cook Ba-wan (Taiwanese Meatballs):
INGREDIENTS
For the sauce (Hai Shian Jiang)
2 teaspoon hot chili sauce
4 tablespoon sugar (I preferred brown)
6 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
8 tablespoon banana ketchup
¾ cup of flour
1 cup of water
For the wrapper
3 cups potato starch
2 ½ cups cornstarch
2 cups rice flour
13 cups water
For the filling
2 pounds pork tenderloin (ground)
16 pieces Shiitake mushrooms (cooked)
6 tablespoons shallots (fried)
3 cups bamboo shoots (chopped and cooked for 30 minutes)
10 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup five-spice powder
2 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoon fresh cilantro (chopped)
½ cup water
2 teaspoon cornstarch
COOKING PROCEDURE
1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the sauce and
mix well until uniformed in texture.
2. Transfer the sauce mixture in a saucepan and bring to a
boil while stirring. When thickened, remove from heat, let rest and set aside.
3. For the filling, heat oil in a pan. Stir-fry shallots for
half a minute.
4. Add pork and stir-fry until the meat is almost cooked.
5. Add the bamboo shoots and mushroom then stir. Add the
remaining ingredients for the filling (except for water and cornstarch) then
cook for one minute.
6. Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl then pour in
to the fillings.
7. Stir for a minute then remove from heat. Set aside.
8. For the rice flour wrapper, combine rice flour and
thirteen cups of water. Whisk together until uniformed in texture with no
lumps.
9. Pour in a pot and bring to a boil until thickens like a
paste. Remove from heat and set aside.
10. In a bowl, combine sweet potato starch and cornstarch.
Combine this mixture and the rice starch mixture and whisk well until uniformed
in texture. Let rest for 20 minutes.
11. Prepare heat proof bowls with oil to avoid the dough
from sticking to it. We need more or less twenty small bowls.
12. In an oiled bowl, scoop 1 spoon of wrapper dough and
spread it from the bottom of the bowl up to its lid thinly.
13. Add two spoons of fillings then top with another spoon
of dough to cover it. Make sure it covers the fillings.
14. Repeat the process for all the bowls.
15. Put the bowls in a large steamer and steam for 20
minutes.
16. Remove from heat and let rest for 20 minutes.
17. When serving, invert the bowls onto the serving saucer
to remove the Ba-wan from the bowl without damaging it, serve with sauce.
HOW TO COOK BA-WAN (TAIWANESE MEATBALLS)
