Gluten has taken such a bad rap, I’m hesitant to name this dish Stuffed Gluten Balls. My husband said, “Gluten balls? That sounds terrible!” It does, doesn’t it? Especially since we in this country have created such an aversion towards gluten.
But in Chinese cuisine gluten–mian jin–has the same status as the other protein-packed food, tofu. These two were main sources of protein for vegans and has been used for centuries by Chinese monks before the food fad of today.
Also called seitan, it can come in a slab like a cake and also in nuggets from a can. Mian jin is the ingredient vegetarians use to try to duplicate meat dishes– like Mock Goose (fake goose you might say) or Mock Ham. I never could understand if they aren’t eating meat why they’d have gluten try to impersonates goose, or pork or beef. But here is proof in cans. I think the only difference with each of these is their textures.
What are gluten balls?
The gluten balls I’m stuffing is fried gluten. Slightly bigger than a ping pong ball, they are super-cute spheres. It’s smooth and round on the outside, like donut holes.
When sliced they look like little bread buns. But the insides are airy and fluffy, and surprisingly delicate to handle. One squeeze and it will crumble. When cooked, it shrivels up and looks like a little bag. I realize, again, none of this sounds very appetizing–but don’t rely on the looks. It’s really yummy.
I’ve only found gluten balls in Chinese supermarkets, not in Korean stores. The ones I used in this recipe came in a package of 12 or 13, sold as fried round gluten. There is a use-by date but it keeps for months without refrigeration. You can also buy it fresh, found in the refrigerated section. This one is sold as Puff Seitan; it’s the same thing.
What to stuff with ?
The Chinese love to stuff our food. The stuffing can be pork, beef, prawns, or fish. We like to stuff whole chili peppers, ocra, Chinese mushrooms. And we also stuff pieces of lotus root, bell peppers, bitter melon, hair melon, and eggplant.
Sometimes I stuff gluten balls with pork and shrimp. But today, cooking only for Ted and Russell, it’s a simple recipe of just pork, onions and some aromatics. My alternate stuffing is found below, under VARIATION.
Stuffed Gluten Balls is a great dish for a party. You can’t order this in a restaurant. The stuffed gluten balls, presented over Napa cabbage–makes an elegant dish. And this can be cooked a day ahead. It’s a little bit of work but this makes it a treat for my friends.
Stuffed Gluten Balls
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
24 gluten balls (2 bags)
Filling
1 pound ground pork
¾ cup onion, finely chopped
2 gloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger
¼ cup spring onion, finely chopped
Marinade
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, or rice wine, or sake
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
For braise
1 tablespoon oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
10-15 ounces Napa cabbage, roughly chopped
1½ cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (or soy sauce)
½ cup water
Salt to taste
Garnish
1 tablespoon oil
8-10 ounces Napa cabbage
2 stalks spring onions, chopped
Making the filling
In a large bowl combine pork, onion, garlic, ginger and spring onion. Add soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, white pepper, salt and cornstarch. Stir to blend and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Stuffing gluten balls
Meanwhile, prepare gluten balls. Slice the tops of each ball making an opening just large enough to stuff meat through. The thinner the slice off the top and smaller the hole the more attractive the stuffed gluten will look.
Using a tiny spoon, scrape the inside of the ball to make space for filling.
I didn’t want to waste the fluffy insides so I added and mixed it to the filling. The fluffy gluten will get absorbed in the meat.
Use a spoon to stuff gluten ball with the meat filling. Cover with the sliced gluten top. (They look like little cream puffs!) Set back on tray. Repeat and fill all the balls. Set aside.
Making the braise
Heat a pot. Add oil and heat until oil glistens, turning pot to coat bottom of pot with oil. Add shallot and garlic and fry till fragrant. Add cabbage and fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken stock, oyster sauce and water and bring to a boil, stirring to mix. Test taste and adjust with salt if necessary.
Carefully add the gluten balls to the stock. If there is not enough room for the stuffed gluten, place remaining gluten balls over the first layer. The gluten will shrink and after cooking for about 10 minutes, you can squeeze the top layer of gluten balls down to the simmering sauce.
Once it is brought to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer covered for about 20-25 minutes. Gluten balls will puff up and then shrivel back in size.
Plating Stuffed gluten balls
In a frying pan, heat oil. Add Napa cabbage and fry until almost wilted. Add salt to taste. Line platter with Napa cabbage. Transfer cooked gluten balls with braised cabbage and neatly place over the fried cabbage. Garnish with spring onion. Serve immediately.
VARIATION
Different filling:
Here is an alternate filling you can use. Use the same marinade as above.
6 ounces shrimp, shelled and deveined and diced
8 ounces ground pork
4 fresh shitake mushrooms, finely chopped
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
2 gloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Different ingredients:
Garnish
–Replace Napa cabbage with 2 small bunches of baby Shanghai bok choy, sliced, for an attractive presentation. Fry Shanghai bok choy and line serving platter with fried vegetable.
–Line platter with fresh lettuce leave instead of fried Napa cabbage.
–Garnish with cilantro instead of spring onion, or both.
Banquet Preparation
To make this ahead of time. Cook a day ahead, and refrigerate. Reheat meatballs over slow heat, adding water, if necessary. Stir gluten balls gently so as not to break them. Test for taste.
Prepare and fry Napa cabbage for garnish just before serving. Place on serving platter, top with heated gluten balls. Then garnish with spring onions.
