Pearl Balls, 珍珠丸子 (Zhēn zhū wán zi), are meatballs coated with sticky or glutinous rice. They look like giant pearls because of the glistening sticky rice, hence the name. These are easy to make, very hearty, and perfect for sharing. This is a dish you’ll commonly find served during the Lunar New Year, celebrations, birthdays, and even at dim sum restaurants.
PEARL BALLS: STEAMED MEATBALLS COATED IN STICKY RICE
My earliest memory of pearl balls are those that my aunt made from scratch and would send over to us to try. Hers was of course made with ground pork that she’s also mix some shiitake mushrooms in. They were so hearty, flavourful, and also had delicious earthy notes. My sister loves pearl balls because of the sticky rice coating.
These vegan Pearl Balls or Chinese Sticky Rice Pearl Meatballs are made with plant-based ground meat simply seasoned and mixed with some spring onions and garlic before being shaped and rolled into sticky rice that I soaked overnight. I steamed these in my bamboo steamer lined with some bamboo leaves.
I enjoyed these with a dipping sauce for a delicious small bite. Enjoy that stickiness and chewiness from the sticky rice on the outside and that meaty and hearty bite on the inside.
INGREDIENTS FOR THESE MEATBALLS
Equipment/tools for steaming
Note: if you don’t have a bamboo steamer, that’s perfectly fine. Feel free to use a regular steamer and line the base if needed.
Lining your steamer
I used bamboo leaves (these ones were actually from my mom’s zongzi or sticky rice dumplings) and I cut the edges to fit my bamboo basket.Prepare your steamer and line it with parchment paper or bamboo leaves. Cut any excess of the leaves or paper to fit the bamboo steamer or your steamer.
Sticky Rice
You’ll need some glutinous rice and soak this overnight
Note: If you don’t have sticky, Japanese short grain rice or sushi rice can work but they won’t be as chewy compared to using glutinous rice. For Japanese short grain rice, these will cook faster too, so you can soak the rice for 4-8 hours.
Minced Meat
- plant-based ground meat, I used OmniPork Mince
Seasoning and Aromatics
- scallions or spring onions, finely choppedcloves garlic, minced
- small thumb ginger, finely grated
- Shaoxing wine or other rice wine (see recipe notes)
- corn starch
- 5 spice powder (see recipe notes)
- white pepper
- sesame oil
- salt, or more to taste
- sugar
You’ll find the full detailed recipe below!
Mix everything together until well incorporated.
Optional Veggies
- shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped/minced
- carrot, finely grated
Adding mushrooms or carrot add an extra layer of bite and texture to the meatballs, so you can opt to add some vegetables if you’d like. Finely minced/chopped cabbage are great too.
Having the meatballs without any vegetables is good too, of course!
PEARL BALLS: RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS
Rice
- Wash the water 2-3 times through until the water comes out a little clearer.
- Soak the rice in water overnight at room temperature.
- After soaking, drain the rice from the water and transfer to a bowl.
Bamboo Leaves (if using)
- If using dried bamboo leaves for lining your steamer, you can soak the dried bamboo leaves by placing these in a tray or plate and place a weighted surface like a bowl on top to submerge the leaves. You can do this overnight as well, the same with the rice.
SHAPING THE PEARL MEATBALLS
- Scoop around 1-1.5 tbsp of the ‘meat’ mixture and transfer it to the bowl of sticky rice. Coat the minced ‘meat’ with the sticky rice. You can use your hands to shape these into balls, around the size of large ping-pong balls that are a little smaller than golf balls.
- Make sure each meat ball is well coated with sticky rice.
To Steam
- If using a bamboo steamer, heat a large pan or wok, enough to fit the bamboo steamer. Add enough water that it touches the bottom edge of the steamer. Place your stack of bamboo steamers over the water. Make sure the water doesn’t reach the lining and the meatballs.
- Leave the water to boil over medium high heat. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium leave the meatballs to cook for around 15 minutes or until the sticky rice is translucent and chewy throughout.
When cooked, top with some sesame seeds and chopped spring onions, if desired. Enjoy immediately while hot with your dipping sauce of choice.
For the Dipping Sauce, I mixed together:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar or distilled vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp chili garlic sauce or chili oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil optional
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1-2 tsp sugar adjust to sweeten
- 1 tbsp water
While the meatballs are steaming, prepare your dipping sauce. Feel free to adjust everything according to your taste.
SERVE AND ENJOY YOUR STICKY RICE MEAT BALLS!
These are best enjoyed freshly steamed! Keeping them in the bamboo steamers also help keep these warm.
If you have leftovers feel free to just steam these again when ready to enjoy. ◡̈
If you try out this recipe, I’d appreciate if you leave a rating or simply click on the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ on my recipe card!
MORE CHINESE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:
- Savoury Sticky Rice
- Chinese Green Bean and Mushroom Stir-Fry
- Crispy Wontons
- Vegetable Dumplings
- Chinese Chive Pies
- Pan-Fried Cabbage and Noodle Buns
- Wontons in Chili Broth
- Scallion and Sesame Buns
Looking for more Vegan Asian recipes?
You can get a copy of my upcoming cookbook, Vegan Asian!
If you crave vegan-friendly versions of classic Asian dishes, this cookbook is packed with Southeast and East Asian dishes inspired by those I grew up enjoying at home and those I’ve tried from my travels. From iconic Thai dishes to piping-hot Japanese fare and everything in between, the recipes in this will take your palate on a delicious food trip across Asia, and hopefully keep you coming back for more!
Vegan Pearl Balls (Chinese Sticky Rice Meatballs)
Equipment
- Steamer or Bamboo Basket & Pan or Wok
- Bamboo leaves or parchment paper, for lining
Ingredients
Sticky Rice
- 200 g dry glutinous rice, soaked overnight (1 cup), see notes
Minced Meat
- 450 g plant-based ground meat , I used OmniPork Mince (see notes)
- 3 scallions or spring onions finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small thumb ginger finely grated or minced
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine or other rice, see notes
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp 5 spice powder see notes
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste (see notes)
- 1 tsp sugar
Optional Veggies (see notes)
- 4 shiitake mushrooms finely chopped/minced, (fresh or rehydrated)
- 1/2 small carrot finely grated
Dipping Sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar or distilled vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp chili garlic sauce or chili oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil optional
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1-2 tsp sugar adjust to sweeten
- 1 tbsp water
For Topping
- Black sesame seeds
- Chopped green onions or spring onions
Instructions
Rice
- Wash the water 2-3 times through until the water comes out a little clearer.
- Soak the rice in water overnight at room temperature.
- After soaking, drain the rice from the water and transfer to a bowl.
Bamboo Leaves (if using)
- If using dried bamboo leaves for lining your steamer, you can soak the dried bamboo leaves by placing these in a tray or plate and place a weighted surface like a bowl on top to submerge the leaves. You can do this overnight as well, the same with the rice.
Minced Meat
- For the minced meat, make sure the plant-based ground is completely thawed (if using frozen).
- Mix the rest of the ingredients for the minced meat in a bowl and mix well until combined. If using some veggies or mushrooms, mix it in as well. Allow to refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Scoop around 1-1.5 tbsp of the ‘meat’ mixture and transfer it to the bowl of sticky rice. Coat the minced ‘meat’ with the sticky rice. You can use your hands to shape these into balls, around the size of large ping-pong balls that are a little smaller than golf balls.
- Make sure each meat ball is well coated with sticky rice.
To Steam
- Prepare your steamer and line it with parchment paper or bamboo leaves. Cut any excess of the leaves or paper to fit the bamboo steamer or your steamer.
- If using a bamboo steamer, heat a large pan or wok, enough to fit the bamboo steamer. Add enough water that it touches the bottom edge of the steamer. Place your stack of bamboo steamers over the water. Make sure the water doesn’t reach the lining and the meatballs.
- Leave the water to boil over medium high heat. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium leave the meatballs to cook for 15-20 minutes or until the sticky rice is translucent and chewy throughout.
Dipping Sauce
- While the meatballs are steaming, prepare your dipping sauce. Feel free to adjust everything according to your taste.
To Serve
- When cooked, top with some sesame seeds and chopped spring onions, if desired. Enjoy immediately while hot with your dipping sauce of choice.
WATCH Video
Notes
Sticky Rice
- If you don’t have sticky, Japanese short grain rice or sushi rice can work but they won’t be as chewy compared to using glutinous rice. For Japanese short grain rice, these will cook faster too, so you can soak the rice for 4-8 hours.
Plant-Based Ground Meat
- Note that some types of plant-based ground meat are a bit dry and may not hold up very well. If this is the case, I recommend to add 1-2 more tbsp of corn starch or other starch to help bind it together.
Shaoxing Wine/Rice Wine
- If you don’t consume alcohol, you can add some vegetable broth instead.
5 Spice Powder
- If you don’t have 5 spice powder, you can opt to add a pinch each of ground cinnamon, white pepper, and szechuan pepper (if you have).
Salt
- Some plant-based ground meat brands are already seasoned so it’s best to adjust accordingly. I tasted some of my plant-based ground even if it’s raw (it’s not real meat so it won’t kill me haha) and adjusted to taste as needed.
Optional Veggies
- Adding mushrooms or carrot add an extra layer of bite and texture to the meatballs, so you can opt to add some vegetables if you’d like. Finely minced/chopped cabbage are great too.
- Having the meatballs without any vegetables is good too, of course!
Leftover Sticky Rice
- If you have leftover sticky rice after coating all the balls, you can just add the rice on the steamer or bamboo basket as well, and allow it to cook. You can then just enjoy the rice with your meatballs after cooking.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
You can pin these images:
