Dim Sum Beef Meatball Recipe (Reveal the Secret of Juicy and Tender Meatballs)

These dim dum beef meatballs have a soft and succulent texture and unique flavors. The recipe is easy, but it is hard to find good quality dried orange peel, which is the key to authenticity.

INGREDIENTS

Make the Meatballs
200 g 7 oz lean ground beef
1/3 tsp of salt
1.5 tsp of sugar
1/3 tsp of baking soda
42 g 1.5 oz of hot water
42 g 1.5 oz of crushed ice
42 g 1.5 oz of pork fat, diced
4 tbsp of diced cilantro
42 g 1.5 oz of Diced Jicama

Others:
2-3 pieces of Tofu skin to prevent sticking optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Season the ground beef with salt, sugar, oyster sauce, chicken bouillon powder, white pepper to taste, and sesame oil. Mix within one direction until the seasonings are well combined. Chill the filling in the fridge for one hour.

While waiting, soak the dried tangerine peel for 40 minutes. Use a spoon to eliminate the pith, then dice the tangerine peel finely.

Dice the pork fat, jicama, and cilantro. If you can’t find jicama, use carrot, water chestnut, or daikon radish.

Cut the tofu skin into smaller pieces, then deep fry in 380 F oil for a few seconds. Remove it from the oil and soak it in clean water for a couple of minutes or until soft. Tofu skin is slightly chewy if you steam it directly, which is unpleasant to eat. After deep frying and soaking, it becomes porous and can soak flavor from the meatballs.

Slightly squeeze the tofu skin and put it on a plate. The purpose is to prevent the meatballs from sticking to the plate. Other than that, it doesn’t make a big difference in taste. If you don’t have it, or you think it is too much effort to deep fry and soak the tofu skin, feel free to skip it or use parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Combine the baking soda and the hot water. The heat will break the sodium bicarbonate into sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), which is a stronger alkaline. It will improve the texture of the meat by changing the PH level. That is why the meatballs are soft and succulent.

Add the crushed ice to cool the liquid. Then combine the liquid with the tapioca starch and stir thoroughly.

Take the beef out of the fridge, add the tapioca water in batches, and stir the meat in one direction until the liquid is absorbed. Continue to whisk the meat until it becomes gluey and sticky.

Add the diced jicama, tangerine peel, pork belly, and cilantro. Mix until well combined. Small bites of ingredients will inhibit protein formation, which lowers the water-absorbing rate. That's why I mix the meat with the tapioca starch water first, then add all these minced ingredients last.
Grab a big batch of meat and squeeze it. The meat will naturally form a ball in between your thumb and forefinger. Scoop it with a spoon and put it on top of the fried tofu skin. This recipe is enough to make 6 big meatballs, 65 grams (2.3 oz) each.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Steam the meatballs over high heat for 10 minutes.

[Liwayputi]

Thank you Mandy! I am a “Why” kind of person. I like to understand the reasoning behind preparation of things. You do such an excellent job explaining all the details of why you do the steps that you do. Thank you so much for your effort and being such a good instructor!

[karilynn]

Without question, you are the BEST of YouTube in the cooking/recipe category. I cannot tell you how many referrals I've sent to friends. Thank you for assisting in my desire to prepare great food.

[michaelolin]

Awesome that she's still putting out these videos!

[redmallie]

I like that you explain why everything needs to be done in certain ways, or why some ingredients should not be replaced. I'm going to make these very soon, thanks!

[CantrellBeau]

It always makes my day when I see a new recipe from you. Thank you for making such amazing videos.

[MrJ]

Your videos are just getting better and better. Really glad I found your channel. You have introduced me, and by extension my family, to so many Chinese dishes.

[kiltedcripple]

What a twist of fate. I JUST made a betcha of meatballs very similar to this, and my son, the taste tester in the house, told me they were a little dry. Now I know how to fix them! Thanks Mandy!

[lidiasoares]

Mandy, you are so clever!! You know everything! Thank you, we are the lucky ones learning from you.

[ScottRedstone]

Made it tonight. So good and better than my local dim sum places. I’m in NYC so that’s saying something. I got chunk of beef, chopped by hand etc. used tangerine rind in place of Chen pi. Water chestnuts for jicama. Even did fried tofu then soaked for steaming.

Everyone loved them. Thanks for another spectacular recipe AND explanation for each step. I would send picture if I can figure out how.

[lisawong]

This brings back a lot of memories from our home country for those of us living abroad. Thank you Mandy for sharing this recipe. Please keep making some more dimsums and share the recipes with us. Watching you from Canada 🇨🇦 ❤

[carolsze]

Would love to try this soon. Great tip on how to tenderize meats with baking soda. Your video on how much to used was very helpful.

[jannettebailey]

Making food reminds me of my Mom and the best of times. I miss her most when I cook.

[gordonburns]

Worcestershire Sauce is a brilliant umami taste, good added to stews an casseroles.

Try it neat on 'cheese on toast'... Brilliant!

[MHarenArt]

Always enjoy seeing what you have for us! I have learned a great deal from you about how to cook certain things and it's been great! I will say the best thing I've learned is the baking soda trick to d=tenderize meat. I had no idea about this until I watched your channel. Thank you for sharing your great recipes and all your cooking talents!

[nancyarchibald]

I'm sorry you are so homesick. If you could have family come here, that would be safer for everyone. I bought your Wok. Then ordered 3 more for Christmas gifts. Next, will have to be your cookbook...(if you have one). Thank you for being so thorough with your instructions.

[purrmeowutah]

I made these & they were amazing! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe & techniques. I used some orange peel that I dried in the air fryer since I didn't have access to the tangerine peel. I also used parchment paper & it worked really well to keep the meatballs from sticking. Well worth the time & effort for delicious taste & soft juicy texture.

[edporter]

Hi Mandy. I am sure, and it is natural, that you miss things of home but I can say that we are fortunate to have you. Always watching for your wonderful presentations and all of the things that you share with us. I also return to your presentations for review just to make sure that I make things Your Way ! Thank you Mandy....Michigan

[overeazy]

that looks sooo good. i always appreciate how detailed you are with explaining every step!

[邱廣文-ur]

brilliant recipe thanks for sharing !!!

[maxypanda]

I Really love all the translations, it makes it much easier for me to make, Thanks