The best pork balls are made from fresh meat that's been hand ground and pounded with a mallet until it attains a doughy texture. The giant pork balls in stock soup from Taipei's Ningxia Night Market are as big as a baby's fist.
Their size, as well as the air holes pumped in the meatballs during the pounding, locks in an amazing amount of juice and flavor. The Chinese name illustrates the experience of eating one vividly -- the literal translation is "bursting-juice giant pork balls."
Pork balls are sometimes mixed with ingredients such as Chinese mushrooms and cuttlefish to enrich texture and add flavor.
Ningxia Night Market, No. 58, Ningxia Rd., Datong Dist, Taipei Taiwan;