溫哥華行腳

 芋香獅子頭 

除夕做個大四喜獅子頭，期盼來年麻將桌上手氣順。不過我不會打麻將，做獅子頭只為偷懶取巧。獅子頭的製作過程繁複，但是一趟可以做一大堆，冷凍起來，一個一個慢慢吃，可捱把個月。要注意的是冷凍的半熟獅子頭會產生預煮肉常有的油脂氧化問題。用薑末、胡椒粉、胡麻油、醬油等，可以有效抑制之。

Preparing Braised Taro Pork Ball (Ball of Joy)

One of the interesting things in Chinese culture is symbolism. People use various symbols to pray for their own good in lives. Take example of this delicious dish, braised pork ball, those who are not familiar with Chinese culture need much beyond their imagination to figure out what its Chinese name, lion-head, means. In China, a lion is a symbol of joy rather than powerful beast. In lunar new year eve, Chinese prepare this dish to pray for joy, with one piece of ball symbolizing one kind of joy. Consequently, if you see a dish of four big braised pork balls on a Chinese dining table, you can be sure that the host is a mah-jong player. Winning and making money in mah-jong games has been a enchanting joy for some Chinese daily lives.

材料：
1. 絞肉； 2. 芋頭簽(絞肉的一半)提供香氣與鬆軟的口感; 3. 蛋一顆，當粘結劑; 4.鹽6-9 克，使豬肉膠黏有彈性; 5. 胡椒粉, 薑末, 醬油天然鮮味兼抗氧化劑; 6, 糖, 增加口感; 7. 豆腐; 8. 吐司切丁, 保留肉汁; 9. 洋蔥, 燉獅子頭用, 也是天然健康食材; 10. 太白粉, 裹獅子頭,使呈現光澤透明外觀。

步驟：
  1. 絞肉、鹽、糖、薑末、醬油放入攪拌缸。 中速攪打2-5分鐘，使絞肉鹽溶成略帶黏性。

  2. 把豆腐、吐司、蛋、蔥花加進去，再中速攪拌2-5分鐘。

  3. 加入芋頭簽，用手拌勻。做成7公分肉丸，在太白粉上滾過。

  4. 起油鍋，中火炸至表面呈金黃色，撈出。

  5. 煮鍋中放入洋蔥絲、醬油、糖、適量水，煮滾後轉小火，把炸好獅子頭放入，細火慢燉半小時至一小時。即可。也可以用大白菜代替洋蔥絲。

    6. 撈出獅子頭，用太白粉勾芡湯汁後，澆淋在獅子頭上，即可上桌。

  7. 芋頭不耐久煮，超過一小時，獅子頭會更軟，要獅子頭口感較軟或較有彈性端視個人喜好。