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Xian Zhu Neu Rou

A Hong Kong dish of minced beef balls steamed with bean curd sheet, water chestnut, tangerine peel, and seasonings.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Water chestnut and flour share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 84 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Xian Zhu Neu Rou

Time6–7 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the bean curd sheet

  1. Break the bean curd sheet and deep fry in hot oil until bubbles appear.

  2. Soak the deep-fried bean curd sheet in cool water until fully soft.

  3. Drain the sheet, place it on the plate's surface.

Make the beef balls

  1. Mix water chestnut powder and corn flour with about 50 ml of water.

  2. Add seasoning to the minced beef and stir until the beef is sticky.

  3. Peel, wash, and finely dice the water chestnut.

  4. Soak the tangerine peel, mince it, and chop the parsley into small pieces.

  5. Add the water chestnut solution, the diced water chestnut, and the minced tangerine peel to the mixture.

  6. Stir the beef gently again until all ingredients are well mixed, then shape the mixture into balls.

Steam and serve

  1. Place the beef balls over the soft bean curd sheet and put the plate into a steamer.

  2. Steam the beef balls at high heat for 6–7 minutes.

  3. Serve with Worcester sauce.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1211Calories
54 gProtein
47 gFat
142 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 15 ingredients. The other 4 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Sesame1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Oyster6 medium (84g)81
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Beannot in our table0
Water Chestnutnot in our table0
Tangerinenot in our table0
Saucenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Water chestnut + flourtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together84 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Water chestnut + parsleytop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together22 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  3. Water chestnut + corntop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Beef + corntop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,028 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Corn + parsleytop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together943 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Minced beef
Forms the main body of the balls and sets into a firm, meaty texture when steamed.
Water chestnut powder
Binds the mixture and keeps the cooked balls moist and slightly springy.
Corn flour
Thickens the liquid added to the beef, helping it bind and stay tender.
Water chestnut
Adds a crisp, juicy crunch that contrasts with the soft beef.
Dry bean curd sheet
Softened after frying and soaking, it forms a base that cushions the balls while steaming.
Oyster sauce
Adds savoury depth and umami to the seasoned beef.

The step that matters

Stirring the beef until sticky. Working the minced meat with seasoning and liquid releases proteins that bind it, so the balls hold their shape and stay juicy rather than crumbling or turning dry.

Swap the tangerine

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, water chestnut, corn, flour, parsley, sauce, oyster):

  1. Limefits better
  2. Avocadofits better
  3. Lemonfits better
  4. Tangerinethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, water chestnut, corn, flour, parsley, sauce, oyster. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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