Steamed beef balls with dried tangerine peel
Minced beef beaten until springy with tangerine peel, water chestnut and coriander, rolled into balls and steamed for ten minutes — the dim sum classic, made at home.
- 27 min
- Serves 3
- Steam
- Medium
Why it suits you: Phlegm-damp types feel heavy and bloat easily, and with Hong Kong still humid at Liqiu, indigestion is their great enemy. Tangerine peel moves qi, dries damp and whets the appetite, water chestnut clears heat and resolves phlegm, and beef strengthens the spleen. Steamed without oil and paired with pu'er tea, they leave you light rather than bloated.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 12 min- 1Soak the tangerine peel until soft, scrape off the white pith and chop finely. Crush and finely dice the water chestnuts.
- 2Mix the beef with the salt, sugar, soy sauce, pepper and cornflour. Add the water a little at a time, stirring in one direction until sticky, then slap the mixture against the bowl a dozen times.
- 3Mix in the tangerine peel, water chestnut and coriander, then roll into 12 balls with wet hands.
- 4Line a steamer basket or plate with the lettuce, add the beef balls and steam over a high heat for 10 minutes once the water boils. Serve with Worcestershire sauce.
Cautions
- Steam until cooked right through with no pink in the centre; tangerine peel is warm and drying, so go easy if you're prone to dryness or heat.
Chef's tips
- Adding the water gradually and beating until sticky gives springy beef balls; mix the filling the night before and chill it — it's easier to roll and goes straight into the steamer in the morning.
The TCM view
Tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm, moving qi, strengthening the spleen, drying damp and resolving phlegm — the Bencao Gangmu notes that 'with tonics it tonifies, with purgatives it purges'. Beef is sweet and warm, building qi and blood; water chestnut is sweet and cold, clearing heat and resolving phlegm; coriander is pungent and warm, aiding digestion. Steamed with little oil, it resolves damp without heaviness.
