Spicy Asian Meatballs

These meatballs are a step above the norm. In a word, these are unique. While looking for a recipe to make on a weekend afternoon (yes, we do use our own blog sometimes!), I came across our old recipe for a Meatball Banh Mi, which seemed to have gotten a lot of love from you and was inspired to make these Spicy Asian Meatballs.

Not only did I not have a baguette, but I also didn’t feel like walking the few blocks to the grocery store because it was “that kind of weekend afternoon,” and yet, by some miracle, I did have everything else I needed to try my hand at meatball improvisation. I opted to serve these babies over rice instead of in a sandwich.

Which was a brilliant plan.

The trick was to whip up a quick and tasty sauce to coat the meatballs before serving. Heaven in a bowl, especially when spooned over steamed jasmine rice and mixed with some leafy herbs and a squeeze of lime.

The Asian meatballs can be made and frozen for later use. Make sure they are completely frozen before transferring them to a freezer bag, and then freeze them again. They’ll be ready to be fried whenever you crave meatballs.

All right, let’s stop chatting now. Okay, let’s get in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground pork
• 1 scallion; chopped
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• ½ cup of chicken or pork stock
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons of chopped Thai basil
• 3 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine
• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce; divided
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons of sugar; divided
• 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch (dissolved into 1 tsp water)
• 1 juiced lime

Instructions:

1. Mix together the ground pork, herbs (such as cilantro and basil), vegetables (such as scallions and garlic), seasonings (including 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and 2 teaspoons of sugar), and other ingredients (such as cornstarch and sugar) in a bowl.
2. Shape into balls and fry (you should get about 20). The meatballs should be frozen for 20 minutes after being placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Cook the meatballs over medium heat in a cast-iron or nonstick skillet coated with a tablespoon of oil after chilling. Finish cooking the meatballs in a skillet after they have been browned on all sides. Take out of the skillet and put to one side.
4. After adding stock to the skillet over medium heat, use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom.
5. Then, stir in the Shaoxing wine, the light soy sauce, the dark soy sauce, the remaining tablespoon of fish sauce, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar.
6. Incorporate the cornstarch slurry and bring it to a simmer. For best results, stir for a few minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Return the meatballs to the pan and add the lime juice.
7. Warm the meatballs in a pot of simmering water, then serve!