Asian meatballs— another stop on the meatball extravaganza happening at the Dougherty's this winter. After I made the Indian meatballs (recipe here), I realized I could make a meatball for every kind of cuisine and since I literally crave Thai and Asian flavors, the Asian meatball was a logical next step in my journey. The brilliant thing about meatballs is their freezeability (not sure that's a word). I make a double or triple batch and freeze them for the nights when I don't feel like cooking but want something decent for dinner. These are more than decent, they're delicious.
Asian Meatballs with a Ginger Soy Sauce
Sauce Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup regular soy sauce
1/2 cup mushroom soy sauce (substitute regular soy sauce if you don't have the mushroom soy)
1/2 cup hoisin
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sweetened black vinegar
1/4 cup chile garlic sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup ginger, peeled and chopped
Meatball Ingredients
1/3 pound ground turkey
1/3 pound ground pork
1/3 pound ground chicken
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
4 green onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Sauce Preparation
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Reduce heat to medium-low and add both soy sauces, rice vinegar, black vinegar, chile garlic, hoisin, oyster sauce and ginger. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 30 minutes or so. Set aside.
Meatball Preparation
In a small bowl, add the breadcrumbs and milk, stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes, or until the milk is absorbed. Mix turkey, pork and chicken together until thoroughly combined. Add the milk soaked breadcrumbs, green onions, cilantro, egg, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce and pepper to the meat mixture. Roll the mixture into balls and set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) in a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place meatballs in the pan and cook until browned all over and cooked thoroughly, about 8 - 10 minutes per batch. Serve with white rice and spoon a little sauce over each meatball. Serve immediately.
