SWEET and SPICY ASIAN MEATBALLS
About the Recipe
Asian meatballs are the absolute best!! And these are the best I've ever had, my favorite go-to hors d'oeuvre ever since my close friend and upstairs neighbor, Robert Burke, gave me the recipe last September. You can use with any ground meat or poultry. I'm even curious about experimenting with ground tuna or salmon...but I haven't gotten there yet.
Serve them as part of a cocktail party passed hors d'oeuvres selection or just as a simple stand-alone nibble alongside pre-meal martinis at your next dinner party. They're super flavorful and addictive. Even my tiny, picky-eater granddaughter devoured at least 20 when I made them for her second birthday party last fall.
They're a fab freezer asset. Make them ahead, freeze them raw for months, and bake them straight from the freezer at party time.
Enjoy!!
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
2 lbs. ground meat, turkey and/or chicken. I like 1 pound pork and 1 pound ground beef (but ground chicken, turkey or lamb are good additions too)
3 tablespoons or more toasted. sesame oil
1 cup Panko or breadcrumbs
1-2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (can substitute 2-3 teaspoons ground ginger. Or use a combo)
2 eggs
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup thinly-sliced scallions
optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds, sliced scallions or chopped chives
For the Sauce:
2/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar or more to taste (or extra can be lime juice)
3 garlic large cloves, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon. ground ginger or 1-2 T grated fresh ginger
hot sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 425-450.
Process all meatball ingredients except the panko last in a food processor.
Add the panko and pulse just to combine.
Shape meat mixture into 1-inch balls (easiest when meat is very cold) and place on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet or in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Bake for 10-12 minutes in upper part of oven, or until meatballs are golden on the outside and no longer pink on the inside.
NOTE: I highly suggest frying up a little bit of the meat mixture to taste and see if you want to add more seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic etc). The meatballs should be highly seasoned.
While the meatballs are baking, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until blended. I use the food processor or blender for this as well.
Once meatballs have finished cooking, pour the sauce over the meatballs and gently stir to combine. Top with sesame seeds and scallions and serve hot, warm or room temperature with toothpicks on the side.