As early as the beginning of the 2th century, from Chaozhou Fucheng to Jieyang City, to Shantou (now the "old city"), which has only been open for more than 4 years, there have been many Hakka hawkers who peddle beef ball soup from street to street. Twenty years ago, an old Shantou citizen, who was nearly ninety years old at that time, recalled: "Especially at night, in the area from Bajiaoting on Handi Road in Shantou to Hanjiang at the back of the park, we often saw some boats with lamps hanging from the bow shuttling, which was needed by Hakka people to cater to their food customs, and was specially designed for Hakka cargo ships that stopped there to sell beef ball soup for supper."
Smart Chaoshan people saw that Hakka beef balls were very distinctive, so they introduced them and transplanted them. However, Chaoshan people did not simply copy the recipe of Hakka beef balls, but promoted their strengths and avoided their weaknesses, and tried their best to make chaoshan beef meatball's characteristics.
For example, Hakka people beat beef nine with the back of a kitchen knife, while Chaoshan people used two special iron bars, each weighing about 1.5 kilograms, with a square or triangular cross section. Cut the beef into strips along the meat lines and put it on the chopping block. Hold two big iron bars in your hand, open the bow left and right, and beat them repeatedly until the beef is beaten into pulp. For another example, Chaoshan people make beef balls more strictly and meticulously than Hakka people in the selection of materials and technology: as raw materials for beef balls, they all choose high-quality meat from the legs, breasts, backs and buttocks, and the fascia on them should be removed clean. For another example, Hakka people cook meatballs with clear water, while Chaoshan people who always pay attention to the "original flavor" of food use beef and beef bones to cook beef balls. In this way, beef balls are more rich in beef flavor, and at the same time, sand tea sauce is added as dipping material (sauce dish) for beef balls.
chaoshan beef meatball is well-made, pure in taste, soft, crisp and elastic. How did beef balls spread from Hakka to Chaoshan? Some people say that in the early years of the Republic of China, there was a Hakka who sold beef ball soup outside the south gate of Chaozhou. The price was cheap, the taste was crisp and smooth, and the soup was fresh and sweet. There is a local monk whose real name is Ye Yanqing. He likes eating beef balls very much and became a frequent visitor to this Hakka beef ball. Later, he became a good friend. The Hakka people felt their friendship, so they passed on the recipe of Hakka beef nine to Ye Yanqing. Later, Ye Yanqing gradually improved the method of making beef balls, and the beef ball soup he made was also famous in Chaozhou. Over time, it gradually developed into a famous snack in Chaoshan.