Steamed Beef Meatballs

Rinse and drain the shiitakes, remove tough stems, then weigh out 100 g and chop finely. Peel and weigh 50 g carrot; finely grate and chop it short. Slice 1 spring onion, keeping all the greens separate from the whites. Mince 5 g peeled ginger and beat 1 medium egg.

Put 250 g ground beef, all the shiitakes, carrot, beaten egg, spring onion whites, ginger, 1 tbsp light soy sauce and 2 tbsp cornstarch in a large bowl. Stir firmly in one direction for 2–3 minutes until evenly combined and tacky, holding together on a spoon. Scrape down the bowl and keep mixing until no loose egg remains.

Divide all the mixture into 11 equal portions. Pass each portion between two spoons to form a roughly 4 cm ball. Arrange in a single layer with gaps on a heatproof shallow plate large enough to hold them all. Keep the spring onion greens for serving.

Bring enough water to a boil in a steamer, keeping the water below the rack. Add the plate, cover and maintain steady steam for an estimated 15–18 minutes, timed after the water is boiling. Insert a food thermometer sideways into the centers of larger meatballs in different areas; all must reach at least 71.1°C / 160°F. Continue steaming and recheck every 2 minutes until they do. Color alone is not a safe test.

Turn off the heat. Open the lid away from you and lift out the plate with a heatproof plate lifter. Spoon the collected juices over the meatballs, scatter over all the reserved spring onion greens and serve hot.