Baby Lion’s Head Casserole

This is a “big affair” dish in China, a large casserole of giant meatballs and stewed cabbage afloat in a rich broth. The traditional taste is far too rich and bland for me, so I have up-dated the dish to suit my own tongue, using a leaner and spicier pork mixture and shaping the meatballs on a tiny scale. The fanciful Chinese name still holds, but these are baby lion’s heads rimmed by a cabbagy mane, and not their mommies and daddies.

• I cook this dish in a lar