Chinese Pearl Balls (珍珠丸子)

Some of my favorite childhood memories revolve around Chinese homestyle dishes you might not find in a restaurant. My grandma was a great cook. Her lion’s head meatballs, braised pork feet, and lamb dumplings make a great feast. One of her masterpieces was pearl balls (珍珠丸子), or Zhen Zhu Wan Zi. The pork meatballs are coated in glutinous rice and steamed until the rice becomes translucent. They are tender and juicy, rich in flavor, comforting in texture, and always worth the careful work.

What Are Pearl Balls?

Pearl balls are a classic Chinese dish consisting of seasoned pork meatballs coated in soaked sticky rice, then steamed. The rice grains cling to the meat, absorbing the juices and giving the balls a “pearl-like” appearance, hence the name. They are sometimes called “snow meatballs” because of the way the rice looks after steaming.

While often served as a main dish at family meals and during Chinese New Year, every bite brings together savory pork, fragrant dried shrimp, aromatic ginger and scallion, and a subtle sweetness from the rice and seasonings.

Ingredients

Glutinous rice

Glutinous rice is also called sticky rice, sweet rice, and mochi rice. Once cooked, it becomes very tender and has a sticky texture. You can find glutinous rice at Asian markets, and even at some regular supermarkets. In this recipe, I used Thai glutinous rice, which is a long grain type. But Japanese short grain glutinous rice also works. 

Chinese dried shrimp

Chinese dried shrimp (海米) are an optional ingredient in this recipe but I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on some. These dried shrimp are umami bombs and a small amount of them adds great depth of flavor to the dish. Compared to fresh shrimp, they are saltier and have a concentrated taste of the sea. You can usually find them in Chinese markets. 

On the other hand, you can also consider swapping out 4 ounces (115 g) of pork and replacing it with chopped fresh shrimp. That will add a lot of great flavor to the meatballs as well.  

Cornstarch & panko breadcrumbs

Cornstarch helps bind the meat and keeps the texture of the meatballs tender. Panko breadcrumbs are another binder that gives the meatballs structure. If you find the meatballs hard to shape and too soft, you can add a little more panko breadcrumbs to help with the shaping. 

Seasonings

Chinese pearl balls use a lot of seasonings and spices. Soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, ginger, scallion, white pepper, nutmeg and sesame oil build layers of flavor. The meatballs are designed to be enjoyed by themselves without a dipping sauce. The right amount of seasoning will bring out the flavor of the pork without overwhelming it. 

How to make

1. Soak ahead: Soak the glutinous rice and dried shrimp in separate bowls, covered with water, in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, up to overnight. This softens both and brings out more aroma. The long soak is crucial to make the glutinous rice tender after cooking. Once soaked, drain the glutinous rice thoroughly.

2. To prepare the meatball mixture: beat all the seasonings together until the meat is sticky. This step is very important to make sure the liquid is fully absorbed, and the pork has structure. If not beaten long enough, the meatballs will be soft and hard to shape. 

3. Then you can blend in the cornstarch and breadcrumbs. The mixture will become stiffer and easier to shape. If you notice the mixture is still too runny to shape, you can use more breadcrumbs at this stage.

4. To prepare the steamer: I prefer to line my steamer with parchment paper. To prepare the parchment, cut the paper into a large circle that will fit into your steamer. Fold it a few times, then cut small holes in it. This allows the steam to come through and cook the meatballs. Alternatively, you can use a few layers of wet cheesecloth as the liner. Another great way is to use vegetables like a dim sum restaurant would – slice carrots thin, and place one slice under each meatball. 

5. To shape the meatballs: I prefer to use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the pork and directly add it to the plate of glutinous rice. Roll the meatballs in the rice to coat well. Then gently press the rice so it sticks. 

6. Place the assembled pearl balls onto the lined steamer, making sure there’s some space in between. The meatballs will expand as they cook. 

7. To cook: The quickest way is to set up double bamboo steamers (12″) over a wok, so you can cook all the meatballs in one batch. If you use a steamer pot, you will need to cook them in two batches. I usually like to cook one batch while assembling the rest of the meatballs. 

Once cooked, the meatballs are juicy and tender. The glutinous rice will have soaked up the juice from the pork and become semi-transparent. The rice will have a mild sweet taste that works so well with the savory pork. 

Serve and store

Serve the meatballs as a main dish, with or without rice. In my family, no sauce is needed because the meatballs are flavorful enough. But if you like, a simple dipping sauce (soy + vinegar + sesame oil) or a squeeze of hot sauce works well.

Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to four days or frozen for a few months. These meatballs are great for meal prep because they freeze so well. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating. Reheat by steaming to maintain moisture. Microwaving works too, if you add a drop of water and cover the meatballs with a wet paper towel. 

Frequently asked questions

More homestyle dishes you might like

• Stuffed Tofu (囊豆腐)
• Chinese Braised Chicken with Mushroom (小鸡炖蘑菇) 
• Pork and Corn Soup (猪肉玉米汤)
• Eggplant with Tomato (西红柿炒茄子)
• Chinese Chive and Egg (韭菜炒鸡蛋)

Chinese Pearl Balls (珍珠丸子)

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 7 votes

Prep Time: 50 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

0.5x1x2x3x

Save RecipeSaved Recipe Print

Chinese pearl balls is a dish I’ve enjoyed since childhood, featuring tender flavorful juicy pork meatballs coated with tender sticky rice. They are fun to make, freezer-friendly, and look impressive, making them perfect for Sunday dinner and Chinese New Year.

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 cup glutinous rice
• 2 tablespoons Chinese dried shrimp (optional)
• 1 lb ground pork (*Footnote 1)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 2 teaspoons ginger , grated
• 4 green onions , thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Add glutinous rice and dried shrimp into separate bowls. Add cold water to cover. Let soak for at least 4 hours. (*Footnote 2)
• Drain glutinous rice and dried shrimp. Place the glutinous rice onto a medium plate with rim or a large bowl. Finely mince the rehydrated dried shrimp.
• Combine pork, eggs, dried shrimp, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, ginger, green onion, sugar, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in one direction, in a circular motion until it’s sticky. Add cornstarch and panko breadcrumbs. Stir to mix well. Pour in the sesame oil. Stir again to combine.
• Line your steamer with parchment paper with holes cut in it, or a few layers of wet cheesecloth.
• Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of meat paste (you can use a cookie scoop), shape it into a ball, and roll it in the glutinous rice, until the surface is completely coated with rice. Gently press with your hand so that the rice sticks to it. Place meatballs onto the lined steamer. Make the rest of the meatballs using the same method, spaced 1” (2.5 cm) apart.
• Add 2” (5 cm) water to a steamer and bring it to a boil.
• Steam the meatballs for 15 minutes, or until cooked through (*Footnote 3). Serve as a main dish with or without rice (*Footnote 4).

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. A higher fat content makes the meatballs very juicy and tender. If you have access to a Chinese market, coarsely chopped ground pork works even better. On the other hand, leaner ground pork produces slightly firmer meatballs but the texture will be silky and nice as well.
2. Soaking for less time will result in chewier rice. You might be able to get away with 2 hours soaking, but 4 hours produces the best result. You can soak both overnight in the fridge as well.
3. You might need to steam the meatballs in two batches unless you’re using a two-tier bamboo steamer, stacked together. Once you’ve shaped the first batch of meatballs, you can steam them while shaping the second batch.
4. This dish is intended to be served without sauce. You also serve it with sriracha or a dumpling dipping sauce (1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar + 2 teaspoons soy sauce + 1/2 teaspoon sugar + 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil).
5. To make this dish gluten-free: use tamari to replace soy sauce, use dry sherry to replace Shaoxing wine, and make sure to use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 315kcal, Carbohydrates: 14.7g, Protein: 38.7g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2.3g, Cholesterol: 103mg, Sodium: 793mg, Potassium: 657mg, Fiber: 0.6g, Sugar: 1.7g, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating ⭐️ and share your thoughts in the comments further down the page. It really helps others discover the recipe too.

And if you snapped a photo, don’t forget to tag @omnivorescookbook on Instagram. I can’t wait to see your creations!