I love ground meat everything — burgers, meatballs, meatloaves, sausages. You name it.
That goes back to my mom’s kitchen. Cooking on empty, she would put all available meat scraps through the meat grinder, pump up the flavor with whatever was on hand — salt, pepper, mustard, horseradish, garlic, onions — pump up the quantity with rice, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, bread — whatever. She would char them, then steam, and every bite was delicious — no bones or gristle to interrupt the experience.
This one is by far the easiest meat mix I have ever worked with and fantastic result. What was different?
— Chopping ground meat made the patties hold themselves together and keep the juices from running during the frying process.
— Flour-cornstarch mixture was brilliant. It kept everything together — moisture and juices included — but did not create that mealyness that can come from too much flour.
— Final stage of steeping in flavored water — just like my mom always did — created an incredibly juicy texture that was locked in with the last addition of a cornstarch slurry.
These hamburgers turned out to be soft like meatballs but firm like burgers. Charred on the outside but silky at the same time. All the flavors — ginger, scallions, soy, sesame — were perfectly locked in and amplified with wine.
For the cabbage, it was my go to garlic, hot peppers, soy sauce, oyster sauce mix. Just go for The Healthy Boy brand — a huge difference.
WHAT WENT IN
Meat & Marinade:
— 1 lb ground pork
— 1 egg
— 1 tsp grated ginger
— 1 Tbsp very finely minced scallions
— 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
— 1/2 tsp salt
— 1 Tbsp soy sauce
— 1 Tbsp corn starch
— 1 Tbsp flour
— 1/2 cup neutral oil
— 1 Tbsp minced ginger
— 2 Tbsp soy sauce
— 1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
— 1 cup water
— 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with water to a paste consistency
— 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
— 1 tsp sesame oil
— about a pound of Chinese cabbage, halved, quartered, or left whole depending on the size
THE PROCESS
1. Spread the ground pork on a cutting board and go over it with a cleaver — side to side and top to bottom. It does make meat more sticky.
2. Scrape the meat into a bowl, add marinade ingredients, and stir one direction until well combined.
3. Divide the mixture into 16 meatballs and flatten each one slightly with a spatula.
4. Heat the oil in a wok, and fry the hamburgers on each side. Go by the color.
5. Once all a fried. Place them in back in a wok, add ginger, wine, soy sauce, and water. Cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Thicken with cornstarch. Sprinkle with scallions an sesame oil.
6. Remove to a serving platter and garnish with cooked cabbage.
