Five Spice Chicken Meatball Stuffed Cabbage
Chinese five-spice powder is a blend of spices that represent the five elements of Chinese philosophy. It’s used in many Asian cuisines, including Chinese, Hawaiian, and Vietnamese. This dish features Asian-spiced chicken meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves with a layer of shiitake rice, served in a light broth.
EQUIPMENT
- 1 Baking Sheet (with parchment paper)
- 1 large bowl
- 1 metal colander
- 1 rubber spatula
- 1 large skillet
- 1 bamboo steamer (or pot with a steamer insert)
- Plastic Wrap
- Nonstick Cooking Spray
INGREDIENTS
Meatballs
- 1 cup tofu (medium-firm)
- 1 lb chicken breast (ground)
- 1 lb chicken thighs (ground)
- 1 cup panko
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup scallion (thinly sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp ginger (minced)
- 2 large eggs (beaten)
- 2 tsp soy sauce (low sodium)
- 2 tsp 5 spice powder
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 20 leaves cabbage (Chinese or savoy, blanched)
- black pepper (to taste)
Shitake Rice
- 2 cups glutinous rice (soaked overnight)
- 1 cup mushrooms (shitake, small diced)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 5 shallots (minced)
- 1 tsp ginger (minced)
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- Kosher salt (to taste)
To Serve
- light broth of your choice
- sliced scallions
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare Meatballs: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Microwave tofu on high for 3 minutes, drain excess water, and let cool.
- In a large bowl, combine ground chicken breast, ground thighs, panko, sesame oil, scallions, garlic, ginger, beaten eggs, soy sauce, five-spice powder, salt, and pepper. Fold in the tofu and fully incorporate, chill for 20 minutes.
- Roll Meatballs into 2-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 16 minutes, until cooked through. Set aside.
- Prepare Rice: Steam soaked rice in a metal colander lined with cheesecloth or a thin linen napkin over simmering water for 12 minutes. Fold rice with a spatula, cover, and steam for another 12 minutes. Set aside.
- Make Shiitake Rice: In a skillet, sauté mushrooms in butter for 6 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, sweat the shallots for 5 minutes, then add ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with Shaoxing wine and finish with sesame oil. Fold into the steamed rice along with the mushrooms. Season with salt to taste.
- Assemble Bundles: Lay a blanched cabbage leaf on a sheet of plastic wrap. Add a portion (2 tablespoons) of rice in the center, place a meatball on top, and gather the cabbage into a bundle. Tie the plastic wrap and repeat. Steam bundles for 3–5 minutes.
- Serve: Unwrap the bundles and serve 2-3 per person in hot broth, garnished with scallions.
NOTES
- Save mushroom stems to make a quick flavorful broth.
- Glutinous rice can also be replaced with jasmine rice for a different texture.
- The dish can be made ahead of time and gently reheated before serving.
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