Beef ball () is a commonly cooked food in
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
and
overseas Chinese communities which was originated by
Teochew people
The Teochew people or Chaoshan people (rendered Têo-Swa in romanized Teoswa and Chaoshan in Standard Chinese also known as Teo-Swa in mainland China due to a change in place names) is anyone native to the historical Chaoshan region in south ...
. As the name suggests, the ball is made of
beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus'').
In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...
that has been finely pulverized, other ground meat such as pork may be the ingredients of the beef balls.
They are easily distinguishable from
fish ball
Fish balls are rounded meat balls made from fish paste which are then boiled or deep fried. Similar in composition to fishcake, fish balls are often made from fish mince or surimi, salt, and a culinary binder such as tapioca flour, corn, or p ...
s due to their darker color. Another characteristic is the tiny pieces of tendon in each ball will dissolve with prolonged cooking.
Production
Nearly all
meatball
A meatball is ground meat rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many type ...
s (made from pork, beef, fish, or other animal flesh) made in Asia differ significantly in texture to their counterparts with European origins. Instead of mincing and forming meats, meat used for making meatballs is pounded until the meat is more or less pulverized. This is also often the case for fillings in steamed dishes. This process is what lends a smooth texture to the meatballs. Pounding, unlike mincing, uncoils and stretches previously wound and tangled protein strands in meat and allows them to cure to a gel with heat in a similar manner as
surimi.
Hong Kong
Beef balls are commonly mixed in with
wonton noodle
Wonton noodles (, also called wanton mee or wanton mein) is a noodle dish of Cantonese origin. Wonton noodles were given their name, ''húntún'' (), in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). The dish is popular in Southern China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, ...
s and other
fish ball
Fish balls are rounded meat balls made from fish paste which are then boiled or deep fried. Similar in composition to fishcake, fish balls are often made from fish mince or surimi, salt, and a culinary binder such as tapioca flour, corn, or p ...
noodles. It is available in traditional markets and
supermarkets. Beef balls are also a popular ingredient for
hot pot
Hot pot or hotpot (), also known as soup-food or steamboat, is a cooking method that originated in China. A heat source on the dining table keeps a pot of soup stock simmering, and a variety of Chinese foodstuffs and ingredients are served b ...
dishes. It has a variety of uses within
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many o ...
.
See also
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Bakso
Bakso or baso is an Indonesian meatball, or a meat paste made from beef surimi. Its texture is similar to the Chinese beef ball, fish ball, or pork ball. The word ''bakso'' may refer to a single meatball or the complete dish of meatball soup. '' ...
*
Fish ball
Fish balls are rounded meat balls made from fish paste which are then boiled or deep fried. Similar in composition to fishcake, fish balls are often made from fish mince or surimi, salt, and a culinary binder such as tapioca flour, corn, or p ...
*
List of meatball dishes
This is a list of notable meatball dishes. A meatball is ground or minced meat rolled into a small ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, bak ...
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Meatball
A meatball is ground meat rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many type ...
*
Pork ball
A pork ball is a Chinese meatball made from finely minced pork, starch, and sometimes cuttlefish to impart a "chewy" texture and added flavour.
Pork balls are a common part of the cuisines of Taiwan, China, and other parts of Asia, including Ma ...
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Steamed meatball
Steamed meatball is a common Cantonese dim sum dish. It is popular in Hong Kong and most overseas Chinatowns. The meatballs are usually made of minced beef, with water chestnut to add texture and with coriander and a few slivers of cheung pei o ...
*
References
Teochew cuisine
Hong Kong cuisine
Beef dishes
Meatballs
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