Last Updated on October 27, 2025 by Simon Fan
Meatballs are often made unique by the other ingredients—the “secret ingredients”—that are mixed into the meat.
The finely ground paste of bulgur, onions, and lamb or beef, together with spices, makes kibbeh distinct and beloved. The milk-soaked breadcrumbs and regional cheeses create varied and exciting Italian meatballs.
In Chinese cuisine, one of the secret ingredients for meatballs is water chestnut (荸荠 or 马蹄). Fresh water chestnuts—not actually nuts but rather the edible corms of an aquatic plant—have a crunchy texture with a fruity, nutty, and delicately sweet flavor. When diced water chestnuts are added to minced meat, their crunchiness makes the otherwise soft and tender meatballs more exciting, which is why the steamed beef meatballs at dim sum houses are so popular.
In addition to water chestnuts, my recipe here also includes chopped spinach in the mix, to add color and more juiciness. Feel free to swap pork for chicken, beef, or plant-based meat.
You can find fresh water chestnuts at Chinese grocery stores. If they’re not available, I recommend jicama as a good substitute. While you can use canned water chestnuts, they are far inferior to the fresh ones in both flavor and texture.
Steamed meatballs with water chestnuts and spinach
Makes 16 meatballs
Ingredients
Meatball mixture
4 oz (115 g) fresh water chestnuts, or substitute jicama
11 oz (310 g) ground pork, chicken, or beef
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
¼ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ tablespoon potato starch or cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
4 oz (115 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 scallion, cut crosswise into 2-inch (5 cm) lengths and then lengthwise into thin strips
2 thin slices of ginger, about 2 inches (5 cm) long, cut lengthwise into thin strips
Directions
- Use a knife to cut off the top and bottom of each water chestnut, and remove the skin with a vegetable peeler. Cut them into approximately ⅛-inch (3 mm) dice.
- Place the pork in a bowl and add all the other ingredients for the meatball mixture except for the water chestnuts and spinach. Stir vigorously in one direction with your hand or a pair of chopsticks until the pork mixture resembles a sticky paste, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the water chestnuts and spinach, and continue to stir in the same direction until well combined. Cook ½ tablespoon of the mixture in a microwave oven to taste the seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Divide the mixture into 16 even portions and gently roll each between your palms to form a ball.
- Arrange the meatballs on a heatproof plate that fits into a steamer, or two plates into a two-tier steamer. Steam over high heat until they are cooked through, about 12 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan over high heat until it starts to shimmer. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the scallion and ginger strips. Scatter the aromatic mixture over the meatballs and serve.
