Tasting Huaiyang Cuisine along the Canal in Huai'an: Qingong Meatball

Qingong Town, located in Huai'an District in Huai'an City, east China's Jiangsu Province, is a regional business and trade hub with a long history. Qingong Meatball is a traditional dish in Qingong which has been popular among local people for a long time.

Qingong Meatball [Photo by Zhu Feng]

Qingong Meatball belongs to Huaiyang cuisine. It is made of various ingredients, and strict rules are required to be followed when selecting them. Meatballs are made in similar shape and size, tasting juicy.

Qingong Meatball takes lean meat of hind legs of pigs as the main ingredient. What makes its cooking process unique is that an iron stick weighing up to two kilograms would be used to beat the meat repeatedly instead of using knives to chop it up. The purpose is to make sure that the fibers in the meat are not destroyed. The beating will continue unless the pork is fully minced. 

Qingong Meatball [Photo by Zhu Feng]

The next step is to mix the minced meat with egg whites, chicken essence (a seasoning that is added to food to make it taste better), salt, ginger, scallions and other ingredients. And then shape the mixture into balls and put them into the boiled water. When the water in the pot boils again, meatballs are ready.

The skills and techniques of making Qingong Meatball have been listed in the intangible cultural heritage list of Jiangsu Province. Some local food enterprises of Qingong have developed vacuum packaging and frozen food packaging for Qingong Meatball, making this delicious dish available via online and offline stores for customers nationwide. Qingong Meatball is introduced frequently in all kinds of food and agricultural product exhibitions.