A girlfriend of mine wanted to make a video and we were trying to think of one and decided on a cooking episode dubbed: Cooking With Christy. I am in NO WAY a chef... but I do love to eat. So when we were thinking of what to make, I suggested my Asian Meatballs!
The History
Several years ago, I wanted to make some meatballs, but wanted something a bit different than normal Italian or Swedish meatballs I've been accustomed to (IKEA meatballs...mmmm), and came across this recipe I randomly found online. I made it and was OBSESSED. I've made it for friends and family that stays over and they've all praised it as well. I did, however, adjust the recipe a bit as I'm not a fan of water chestnuts and the ginger could be a bit too much. But if you want to add it, do you, boo! I'm not hating, I just find the taste and texture of a water chestnut really weird.
Ingredients
1 lb of ground turkey or ground pork or a mix! 1/4 cup panko crumbs (you can also use regular breadcrumbs if you don't have panko) 1/4 milk (any type of milk - I almost always use almond, just make sure it's plain or unflavored. Vanilla almond milk would probably make it taste a bit off) 1 egg 2 Tbl Soy Sauce 1 Tbl Sesame Oil 1 Bunch of Cilantro 3-4 Cloves of Garlic Salt & Pepper for taste
Chili Flakes or Ground Cayenne (optional)
Sauce: 1/2 - 1 lime 3 Tbl Soy Sauce 1 Tsp Sesame Oil 1 Garlic clove or more! 2-3 Tbl Water 1/2 tsp Sugar
Cilantro
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Directions
In a Medium Sized Bowl, add the Panko crumbs and the milk. Let the milk soak into the crumbs. If you're using breadcrumbs, mix them together to get a crumbly mixture.
Add your meat. Mix it in so that the Panko and Milk mixture is thoroughly mixed in with the meat, and then add your egg - Mix thoroughly.
Sprinkle in some salt and pepper - just a little, and then add about 2 Tbl. of Soy Sauce, 1Tbl of Sesame Oil, and then about 1/4 of a cup (or more) of Cilantro. Mix all together. Then add however much garlic you want. I usually add about 4 cloves, but that's because I love me some garlic!
OPTIONAL: If you want to add some additional spices, go ahead and sprinkle in your Ground Cayenne Pepper / Chili Flakes / or chopped up Chilis (I usually use 1-2 Thai Chilis)
Now, you can either roll them up into balls, OR, you can just throw in a meatloaf pan (I'm usually too lazy to roll it up).
**Just The Tip: I got my meat from Costco and it comes prepackaged in these plastic bins. Save them, rinse it out, and fill half-way with water. Use water to wet your hands to roll the balls so that the meat doesn't stick to your hands!
Meatballs: Roll in 2"-3" balls and place on a baking sheet. Or you can put in a muffin tray so they definitely don't stick to each other.
Meatloaf: Stick in meatloaf pan and cook for 35min or so (slice in the middle to check if it's done).
Springload Pan in the Instant Pot: I've tried the meatloaf version in the instant pot, and it takes about 17-20min on Manual HIGH pressure + 10 min NPR (Natural Pressure Release). Just put your trivet at the bottom, add a cup of water, and then place your springload pan on top. Once it's done and you've NPR, remove the pan carefully and then usually I'll stick it in the oven to broil for 3-5min because I like that crispy top.
Sauce:
Mix the Soy Sauce, Water, Sesame Oil, Garlic Clove (minced / grated / crushed / pressed - what have you), and the lime and mix it all together in a small bowl. Add the sugar and mix until it dissolves. Once that's dissolved, add in some chopped Cilantro. Keep tasting it to make sure its to your preference. It should be a salty, sour, yet with the slightest hint of sweetness.
When you slice your loaf or cut into that delicious meatball, you'll want to pour at least a spoonful of the sauce onto the meat. and there you go. That's it! serve with some steamed rice and some veggies =) I like to pair it with a sauteed Bok Choy flavored with just a little bit of salt and sesame oil and some sesame seeds. You don't need to have steamed rice, if you're going carb free, you can do maybe Cauliflower Rice! I just like having the simpleness of the rice to offset the savory from the meatball / loaf. Same with the Veggies, I keep that simple to not overpower the taste from the meatloaf/ball and the sauce.
That's basically it! Try it and comment below, or tag me on insta if you've tried it!!! @xtjoy14.
**Please note that the links above are amazon affiliated links where if you purchase from these links I earn a small commission to help feed my 5 pets. Thank you from Bowie, Talia, Isey, Mustachio and Stripey - and they eat A LOT**