Ba Wan Taiwanese Meatballs

Ingredients

• 150g sweet potato starch
• 60g rice flour
• 30g cornflour
• 150ml cold water
• 350ml boiling water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, for the moulds
• 300g minced pork shoulder
• 80g bamboo shoots, finely diced
• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 3 tbsp fried shallots
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp cornflour, for the filling
• 3 tbsp thick soy paste
• 2 tbsp red miso paste
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp caster sugar, for the sauce
• 250ml water, for the sauce
• 1 tbsp rice flour, for the sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
• 1 small bunch coriander

Before you cook

• Soak the shiitake in hot water for thirty minutes, squeeze them dry and dice them finely.
• Finely dice the bamboo shoots.
• Mix the minced pork with the diced shiitake, bamboo shoots, fried shallots, light soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, five spice, white pepper and cornflour, stirring in one direction until sticky.
• Chill the filling for thirty minutes so it firms up.
• Whisk the sweet potato starch, rice flour, cornflour and salt with the 150ml cold water to a smooth slurry.
• Brush six small shallow bowls or ramekins generously with oil.

Steps

1. Bring the 350ml of water to a rolling boil.
2. Pour the boiling water into the starch slurry in a thin stream, whisking hard the whole time.
3. Keep whisking for one minute until the mixture turns into a thick, glossy, half-translucent paste.
4. Leave the paste to cool for ten minutes until it is warm rather than hot.
5. Spoon two tablespoons of paste into each oiled bowl and spread it up the sides to line them.
6. Divide the chilled pork filling between the six lined bowls, pressing it into a flat mound.
7. Cover each mound with more paste and smooth the top so the filling is fully sealed.
8. Set the bowls in a steamer over vigorously boiling water.
9. Steam for twenty-five minutes, until the dough has turned grey and translucent all the way through.
10. Lift the bowls out and rest them for ten minutes so the dough sets and stops sticking.
11. Put the thick soy paste, half the sugar and 100ml of the water in a small pan over low heat and stir until it just thickens, about two minutes.
12. In a second pan, whisk the miso, ketchup, remaining sugar, the rice flour and the last 150ml of water together.
13. Cook the red sauce over low heat for four minutes, stirring, until it thickens to a pourable gravy.
14. Turn each ba wan out onto a plate and cut a cross in the top.
15. Spoon over both sauces, then add a dab of garlic paste and a few coriander leaves.