Asian Meatballs

It's time for SRC again! Each month, as part of the Secret Recipe Club, we're assigned another blogger, and we get to pick a recipe from their blog to make. This month, I got Famished Fish. The blogger behind Famished Fish, Saundra, is on a journey to create the most appealing, healthy, and delicious meals while targeting nutritional needs and picky eaters. While we don't have a picky eater, who doesn't want healthy and appealing meals? (Bobert likes just about anything, including plain yogurt and sauerkraut - as long as it's not egg yolks. Or rather, as long as he doesn't know it's egg yolks.)

Looking through her blog, lots of recipes undeniably tempted me. For example, taro chips - one of my favorite foods in crispy, crunchy, yummy chip form? Definitely!...And then I forget to buy a taro when we're at the grocery. Her potato skins and Mexican chocolate tea biscuits were also contenders, but ultimately, I chose to make some Asian Meatballs.

Overall, we enjoyed these meatballs, although they did not taste like bulgogi meatballs, as we expected based on the name. However, the meatballs were full of flavor. We also opted to enjoy the meatballs over rice instead of in a meatball sandwich. The only minor change I would make next time would be to significantly decrease the amount of soy sauce. I'd recommend using a third to half, or even less. The decrease in soy sauce will allow you to have a much more pleasantly flavorful sauce and not get overwhelmed with the saltiness. I've edited the materials table to reflect the change, but the images show the full amount.

What's your preferred method for cooking meatballs - oven or stovetop?

Asian Meatballs

by CJ Huang

Flavorful Asian meatballs with lemongrass and ginger in a savory sauce. Perfect as an appetizer or snack by themselves or as a meal served on rice or in a roll.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: 39 meatballs (1 inch diameter)

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
	1 pound			ground beef
		1 tablespoon		fish sauce
		1/2 tablespoon		soy sauce
		1 teaspoon		ginger, grated
		1 teaspoon		lemongrass
		1/2 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes
		1 teaspoon		sesame oil
		1/2 cup		soy sauce
		1/3 cup		brown sugar
		1 tablespoon		rice vinegar
		1 teaspoon		sesame oil
		4 teaspoons	4 cloves	garlic, minced
		1 tablespoon		ginger, grated
		1 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes
		1 teaspoon		black pepper, ground
		1 tablespoon		cornstarch

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine first seven ingredients, mixing until flavors uniformly spread throughout beef.
	3. Meanwhile, combine remaining materials, stirring to mix in corn starch before heating. Heat until sauce thickens and becomes bubbly. Remove from heat.
	4. Form meat mixture into meatballs, then cook. I cooked these Asian meatballs in a pan. You could also bake or use a slow cooker.
	5. Dunk cooked meatballs in sauce before serving.