Fried Bread-mixed Meatballs

1) Break up bread and soak it in cold water for about 20 minutes. Wrap it up with a piece of clean cloth and squeeze the water off. Put it in a small pot. Rub well so that there are no hard lumps.

2) Break the egg on minced pork in a small aluminum pot and add cornflour solution, soya sauce, salt, cooking wine, minced scallion and ginger root, and "5-spice powder". Stir until it becomes sticky and firm. Add soaked bread and mix well.

3) Heat peanut oil until it is about to smoke. Shape the seasoned mince into 3/4-inch balls. Fry until golden brown or crisp on the outside and well-done inside. Drain and serve.

Notes:

(1) The idea behind adding soaked "steamed bread" (this may be replaced by very fine crumbs of the western bread) is that for the same amount of pork a greater number of meatballs may be produced.

(2) "Five-spice powder" is available in China in commercial packets, being a mixed powder of Chinese prickly ash, aniseed, dry ginger, fennel, cinnamon and dried tangerine peel.