Shimen Five-Spice Balls

Last updated 2026-11-10 — Shimen Five-Spice Balls, also known as Muscle-Relaxing Balls, are a uniquely flavored food beloved by the people of Shimen. Everyone who visits Shimen from elsewhere hopes to try them and indulge in their delicious taste. To make Shimen Five-Spice Balls, fresh sweet potatoes are first washed, peeled, boiled, and mashed into a paste. This is then mixed with powdered millet, foxtail millet, sorghum, corn, and glutinous rice (commonly referred to as “five-grain powder”), along with chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, black pepper, cinnamon, orange peel, fennel, and calamus powder, thoroughly blended to form the outer layer. The filling is made from mashed garlic, onions, ginger, and minced vegetarian pork, which is then wrapped inside the outer layer to form balls. These balls are then deep-fried in oil for several minutes, removed, and drained to finish. Shimen Five-Spice Balls have a golden color and a sweet, fragrant, and delicious taste. They not only offer high nutritional value but also help improve circulation, invigorate qi, and strengthen muscles and tendons. Legend has it that when Li Zicheng was defeated and injured, he retreated to Jiashan in Shimen, where an old man took him in and fed him Five-Spice Balls daily, helping him recover quickly. Nowadays, people in the Lishui area of Shimen often eat them when they suffer minor injuries, hence they are also called “Muscle-Relaxing Balls.” (Changde)