Lion’s Head Pork Balls

This noble-sounding Shanghai dish is every bit as grand-tasting as its name implies. The lion reference is simply because the pork dumplings are supposed to look like a lion’s head, with the Chinese leaves representing the mane. This is a famous dish throughout eastern China, most particularly in Shanghai. The ratio of fat to lean meat is important for flavour and succulence, so use a cut of leg meat that is marbled with fat.