01x13 - Beef Meatballs

[bunniefuu]

The intricate textures
and irregular pores

make it look like the surface of the moon.

Tens of thousands of powerful strikes

have completely transfigured the beef

and given it a brand new
and entirely different flavor.

CHAOSHAN

SHANTOU CITY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE

Shantou has a year-round
subtropical monsoon climate.

Hot and humid weather
leads to a wide variety of produce

and stimulates innovation towards cuisine.

Every morning,

one-third of Shantou locals
choose to have this as their breakfast,

hu tieu soup with beef meatballs.

HU TIEU SOUP

This kind of food has flourished
in Chaoshan for 100 years.

PROSPERITY

It all begins three hours earlier.

SIX A.M.

HUANGGANG ROAD, JINPING DISTRICT,
SHANTOU CITY

According to history,

ground beef cuisine
originated in the Central Plain.

Beef meatballs were sold in markets
by Hakka peddlers

and came to be known by Chaoshan locals,
who later made bold improvements.

CHAOSHAN SQUARE-SHAPED MALLET

Unlike the back of knives
used by the Hakka people,

these square-shaped mallets
are a Shantou local invention.

They each weigh three catties
and are four centimeters wide.

The smooth and shiny cross-section
used with just the right force

can instantly scatter fibers in the beef.

TEN MINUTES LATER

Intact muscle fibers are the key to making
ground beef taste delicate and tender.

Constant pounding
scatters the beef fibers.



At the same time,
it crushes cell molecules,

causing them to re-align
and release all the protein.



I have been learning this
for over ten years. I often get injured.

DONGYONG LIN

I get blisters and calluses on my hands,

and my hands even swell up.

This happens all the time.

For at least 30 minutes,
they need to pound not only evenly,

but also non-stop,

or else, the meat will not become sticky

and lots of the juice in the beef
will be lost.

To make high-quality beef meatballs,

aside from constant pounding,

there is another
critically important secret.

This secret gives the ground beef
an even purer taste.

Right now,
it is not force that they need to employ,

but enough patience, meticulousness,
and agility.

One hundred grams of bovine fascia

will be picked out
of every five kilograms of beef.

Only then can you ensure
that every last fiber

in every last mouthful of beef meatball

still tastes smooth and tender.

Constant pounding and picking out fascia.

Ground beef is not done

until it goes through these processes
many times.

Meatball cuisine made from ground meat

is traditionally found all across China.

There are all sorts of meatball cuisines.

But only Chaoshan beef meatballs

are completely transformed
from their original texture...

CHAOSHAN BEEF MEATBALL

and given an entirely different,
new flavor.

Nowadays, Chaoshan beef meatballs
can be found all over China.

But there is one kind of beef meatball
exclusive to this area.
It is also the taste
that Shantou gastronomes can't forget.

This kind of traditional
Shantou handmade beef meatball

is hidden within common streets
and alleyways.

YUEJIN ROAD, SHANTOU CITY

Because of his insistence
of making meatballs by hand,

owner Dongming Huang's nails
have stopped growing.

DONGMING HUANG

Every day in the wee hours,
Dongming Huang goes to the market

to personally pick out ingredients.

The freshness of the beef

directly affects the unique quality
of the heirloom beef meatball.

What kind do you want?

Top rump.

Cuts from the upper leg.

Outer parts from the round.

Deep muscles from the round
make it sticky.

Quite nice after it's been pounded.

It's not fatty.

It improves after it's been pounded.

A formula of ingredients
as complex as a chemical experiment

was passed down to Dongming Huang
from his mother.

It has never changed in the past 40 years.

To make these heirloom beef meatballs,
Dongming Huang needs a partner.

Yoga instructor Yan Huang
is Dongming Huang's daughter.

Her other identity is the heiress
of the Huang family beef meatball.

She holds in her hands the secret
to the Huang family beef meatball.

YAN HUANG

Adding small amounts of baking soda

makes the meat more tender and silkier.

Fish sauce adds umami and saltiness.

In addition,
there is another critical step.
The pounded ground beef
must be mixed immediately,

and must also be kept cool while doing so.

When the temperature gets too high,
meat will start to change,

and the final beef meatball product
will be inferior in appearance and taste.

At the beginning,
the stickiness hasn't formed yet,

so it's not so hard to mix.

It slowly becomes stickier and stickier
when I mix it,

and then I have to start
putting more strength into it.

Finally, I have to use all my strength.

There is no standard
for how long it has to be mixed.

It depends on the texture and experience.

As the ground beef starts to get sticky,

more and more ice water is added
to the Huang family beef meatball.

Detached myosin
enhances protein gelification

and also helps to seal in moisture,

making the ground beef
silkier and smoother.
The warm water
helps the meatball gradually take shape

and also removes any excess blood.

In Chaoshan,
according to the different consistencies,

beef meatballs are categorized
into soft pastes and hard pastes.

CHAOSHAN SOFT PASTE BEEF MEATBALL

As a typical soft paste,
the Huang family beef meatball

has a smoother and more elastic texture,

which is preferred by many locals.

CHAOSHAN HARD PASTE BEEF MEATBALL

The craftsmanship
is both time- and energy-consuming.

To ensure the best quality,
for the past 20 years,

Dongming Huang only makes 50 kilograms
of beef meatballs per day.

Eight catties of beef meatballs.
-Eight catties?
- Yes.

And a couple of the vacuum packages.

Put in some ice.
I'm sending them to Singapore.

- Just got off work?
- Yeah.

I've been coming for over ten years.

By adding
just a dash of shacha sauce,

traditional handmade paste beef meatballs

can conquer the tastebuds
of Chaoshan gastronomes.

Our restaurant has been in business
for almost 20 years.

At first we only served hu tieu
and beef meatballs.

Later on we added beef tendon ba*ls
and beef rolls to the menu.

He doesn't want to do it
unless he has the energy and ability

to make the best dish.

This is the feedback from customers.

They like what we serve.

We keep it nice and simple,
just those few dishes.

As long as my husband keeps it up,
I'll keep it up, too.

We'll keep running the business.

It would be nice if it became
a 100-year-old restaurant.

The formation of each flavor

is the fruit of both the environment
and the people.

Beef meatballs originated
in the Central Plain

and spread to Chaoshan.

Luckily, it came upon the people here
to safeguard the tradition.

Because of them,
it has flourished into a fine flavor.