Pearl Balls / 珍珠丸子

Not really in a mood to cook or bake lately since my younger daughter has not been feeling well. So I have been busy tending to her. And my main worry now is that the virus might be passed to my elder daughter since it's known that the recovery stage is the most contagious. So has been pretty stress lately trying to keep them "separated" and their surrounding as clean as possible. *sigh* Anyway I figured another 3 days, then everything should be back to normal. Really cannot wait to bring my young girl out for a swim or a trip to her favorite ice cream palour. And you know, being busy with other things for so long, now that I am blogging again, it seems like a little "foreign" to me, haha!

Since I have been "slacking" for so many days now, I decided to make something nice for my family today. Saw this delicious recipe in a Taiwan blog, they call it "珍珠丸子", meaning pearl balls and it actually is just seasoned pork balls surrounded with glutinous rice and steam to perfection. Sounds really easy right, well because it is easy. :)
Here is the recipe which I did make slight changes to it:
Ingredients for Pearl Balls:
100g glutinous rice, soaked for 2 to 3 hrs before use
180g minced pork
3 water chestnut, chopped fine
3 large shrimp, cut small
25g red carrot, minced
1/4 cup green onion, cut small
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp cornflour
1 egg white
1/2 tsp rice wine
1 tsp chicken seasoning
1/2 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Drain away all the soaking water for the glutinous rice and set aside when needed.
• Mix everything except the rice in a mixing bowl till well blended. Using a teaspoon, scoop about 1 heaping amount to form a ball.
  
• Roll the pork ball into the glutinous rice so that it's coated with it. Then place the pearls balls on small cut out grease proof paper.
• Steam the pearl balls in medium to high heat for 10 to 12 minutes till done.
  

It was such a joy to see these little gems "bloom up" as the glutinous rice cooked. With the rice and pork and vegetables inside, these little pearls can be a meal on it's own (if you eat enough of it). My friends even commented that they look like dim sum. ;)
The overall taste was good but I wish I have added a wee bit more seasoning. But again I was relief I did not over season it, because once you add in, you cannot get it out! I am sure you all experience that before. ;-P So dipping it in your favorite condiment might not be a bad idea if you want more flavor. ;)

If you like a healthy, non greasy dish, try this out. You can add any kind of ingredients in it, even dried mushrooms or replacing the pork with chicken is also a good idea. Have fun!