🍽️ niurouwan

Hand-pounded beef meatballs with a springy bite, served in hotpot or soup.

Shantou beef balls are one of the soul ingredients of Chaoshan hotpot and noodle soups. Makers take fresh beef leg meat, trim away the sinews, and pound it repeatedly with iron rods into a smooth paste, then squeeze the paste into balls and set them in warm water; the balls turn springy without relying on starch or tenderizer. The finished balls are pale grey, smooth-skinned, dense and juicy, with a clear rebound between the teeth and a burst of pure beef flavor. They are most often cooked in a Chaoshan beef hotpot or halved and added to kway teow soup, dipped in satay sauce for the classic bite. Shantou ball shops insist on hand-pounding and fresh meat, making the balls a must-order at gatherings and hotpots, and they are frequently vacuum-packed and carried away as an edible souvenir of Chaoshan cuisine.