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Shepherd's-Purse Pork Balls
Spring pork balls from Jiangsu: boiled pork belly slices wrapped in blanched shepherd's purse, formed into balls, steamed thirty minutes and served under boiling stock. Origin note: the report presents this as a reworking of the Jiangsu classic dazhu gansi. Adapted faithfully from the original ClouChef R&D report — 大煮干丝, report 107 — which deliberately remakes the traditional shredded-tofu dish in meatball form.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 大煮干丝_107.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 1 hour 10 minutesTotal: 1 hour 30 minutesServings: 2Difficulty: MediumRegion: JiangsuFlavour: Light, savoury, spring-fresh
Why this works
This page follows the report, not the traditional tofu-shred recipe: the report itself turns the Jiangsu classic into a meatball shape, trading knife-worked tofu shreds for pork and shepherd's purse, and this page keeps that choice rather than quietly substituting the classic dish. The method is gentle throughout — pork simmered forty minutes until a chopstick passes easily, shepherd's purse blanched thirty seconds and shocked cold so it stays green, then wrapped around the slices and rolled into four-centimetre balls. Steaming on high heat for thirty minutes without lifting the lid sets the balls and brings their centres past 75 °C, and the final pour of boiling stock wakes the aroma and keeps the serving hot. The one thing not to improvise is the blanch: shepherd's purse left in boiling water even a minute too long turns yellow and loses the spring freshness the whole dish is built on.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork belly, skin on | 7 oz | 200 g | Boiled, then sliced 0.5 cm thick, about 6–8 slices. |
| Shepherd's purse, fresh | 2.8 oz | 80 g | Blanched 30 seconds, shocked cold, squeezed dry, minced 0.5 cm. |
| Corn starch | 2 tbsp | 30 g | Listed in the report's table; the steps do not say where it goes — dusting the balls lightly before steaming is the home adaptation used here. |
| Chicken or bone stock | ⅔ cup | 150 ml | Brought to a rolling boil before pouring over. |
| Salt | ½ tsp | 3 g | — |
| Cooking wine (huangjiu) | 2 tsp | 10 ml | For boiling the pork. |
| Light soy sauce | 1 tsp | 5 ml | — |
| Ginger slices, for boiling the pork | A few slices | A few slices | Report gives no quantity; a few slices is the home adaptation. |
| Goji berries or chopped scallion, to garnish | To taste | To taste | — |
Equipment
- Steamer (bamboo or metal)
- Pot for boiling the pork
- Heatproof bowl or steamer plate for the balls
Steps
- Boil the pork and blanch the greens. Put the pork belly in cold water with ginger slices and cooking wine, bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 40 minutes until a chopstick passes through easily and the meat is fully cooked. Meanwhile wash the shepherd's purse, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, plunge into cold water, squeeze dry and mince to 0.5 cm.
- Form the balls. Slice the cooked pork 0.5 cm thick, about 6–8 slices, and lay flat. Spread the minced shepherd's purse evenly over each slice, about 3 mm thick, and roll by hand into balls about 4 cm across, pressing so the greens cling tightly to the meat. Dust very lightly with starch if the balls will not hold.
- Steam without lifting the lid. Place the balls in a steamer (or a heatproof bowl) and steam on high heat for 30 minutes from when the water boils. Do not open the lid midway, or the balls may collapse and the centres may fall short of temperature. The centres must reach at least 75 °C / 167 °F.
- Serve under boiling stock. Lift the balls out, bring the stock to a rolling boil, and pour about 150 ml over the balls. Garnish with a few goji berries or chopped scallion and serve at once.
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Technique: thirty-second blanch, thirty-minute steam, no peeking
The greens and the steam are the two clocks: shepherd's purse goes from vivid green to yellow in about a minute of boiling, so thirty seconds plus an immediate cold shock is the whole technique for keeping it spring-like. The steam is the opposite discipline — thirty minutes of high heat with the lid sealed, because opening it drops the temperature and risks both collapse and an undercooked centre. If a ball will not hold its shape, the greens were not squeezed dry enough, or the pork slices were cut too thick to roll.
Variations
- Spinach version: use spinach instead of shepherd's purse when the wild green is out of season (adaptation).
- Smaller balls: form 3 cm balls and steam 20 minutes (adaptation).
Frequently asked questions
Is this the classic tofu-shred dish?
No: this page follows the report's pork-ball dish, not the traditional tofu-shred version. See the origin note in the introduction.
Where do I find shepherd's purse?
At Chinese groceries in spring, fresh or frozen; spinach is the out-of-season substitute.
Why did my balls fall apart?
Usually the greens were not squeezed dry, the pork slices were too thick, or the steamer lid was lifted midway.
Storage and freezing
Best eaten fresh from the steamer. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; re-steam until steaming hot throughout. Do not freeze the finished balls.
Shepherd's-Purse Pork Balls — Recipe Card
Pork belly slices wrapped in shepherd's purse, steamed and served under boiling stock.
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 1 hour 10 minutesTotal: 1 hour 30 minutesServings: 2
Ingredients: 200 g pork belly; 80 g shepherd's purse; 30 g corn starch; 150 ml stock; 3 g salt; 10 ml cooking wine; 5 ml soy sauce; ginger slices; goji berries or scallion to garnish.
Steps: 1) Boil pork 40 minutes; blanch greens 30 seconds, mince. 2) Slice pork 0.5 cm, wrap in greens, form 4 cm balls. 3) Steam on high heat 30 minutes, lid closed. 4) Pour over boiling stock, garnish, serve.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 大煮干丝 (data/reports/107.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. IMPORTANT: this report's dish is shepherd's-purse pork balls and contains no dried tofu shreds; this page follows the report as written rather than substituting the traditional tofu-shred dish. The starch placement and ginger quantity, not specified in the report's steps, are adaptations and are labelled as such. Original poster image: clouchef.com (大煮干丝_107.jpeg).