Let’s talk about meat balls…

First of all, I’ve always loved meat balls, they are small enough to be enjoyed just like that at a cocktail party  and big enough, added to spaghetti to be one of my comfort food.

Second, it’s a bit like the croquettes, the whole world is making meat balls, different ways, if you want to see one of my previous post about delicious croquettes, here it is :  http://www.marlenefoodstyling.com/2016/04/croquettes-of-the-world/

And lastly, my mum ones are the best, no discussion about that, but mine are not too bad 😉

I made my own today, not the Italian way I use to do but this time, with an Asian twist.  No spaghetti, but soba. 

The meat balls will caramelized, just enough and the contrast with the hot sauce is amazing. 

 

Asian style meat balls, for 12 meat balls

Ingredients :

• 400g of minced pork
• 120g (1/2 cup) of panko
• 1 tbsp of sesame seeds
• A few stalks of coriander roughly chopped
• 3 spring onions thinly sliced
• 1 egg
• Vegetable oil
• 300g of soba (buckwheat noodles)

For the sauce : 

• 60g of brown sugar (1/4 of cup)
• Half glass of white wine
• 60g of soy sauce (1/4 cup)
• 1 tbsp of grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp of sriracha or any hot sauce

 

Method :

In a saucepan, put the sugar, white wine and soy sauce. Stir and cook until the sugar melts (around 2 min). 
Then add the sriracha and ginger, simmer for 10min and set aside. 

In a bowl, add all the meat balls ingredients except the oil and soba. With your hands, mix well and form some balls, around 8/10cm diameter.

In a pan, put some oil and fry the meat balls until they are golden on each sides. Put them in the sauce and cook slowly for 15min making sure that they are all coverred with the sauce. 

At the last minute, boil some water and cook the noodles. Toss the noodles gently into the meat balls and sauce and eat straight away.