Sunday supper: Sticky Asian Meatballs

Sticky Asian Meatballs

Serves 4.

From RecipeTinEats founder Nagi Maehashi's new book "Delicious Tonight: Foolproof Recipes for 150+ Easy Dinners," Maehashi writes, "I've been rolling canapé-sized versions of these meatballs for years. Why it took me this long to make them dinner-sized is beyond me. I find pork makes the most tender meatballs and is perfect with the aniseed notes of Chinese five spice and hoisin. As for that shiny glaze? It's sweet, savory, and a little bit spicy — perfect for smothering and soaking into warm steamed rice." (Countryman, 2024).

For the meatballs:

• 1 lb. ground pork (see Note)
• 1 egg
• 1 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp. finely grated garlic
• 1 tsp. finely grated ginger
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. Chinese five spice
• ½ tsp. white or black pepper

For the sauce:

• 3 tsp. cornstarch
• 2 tbsp. Shaoxing wine (see Note)
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce (see Note)
• 1 tsp light soy sauce (see Note)
• 1 ½ tsp sambal oelek, or other chili paste or Sriracha
• 1 tbsp. rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• ¼ tsp. Chinese five spice
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

For cooking:

• 1 cup water
• 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil

For serving:

• Rice of your choice
• 1 tsp. white sesame seeds
• 1 green onion, finely sliced
• Steamed broccoli

Directions

To make the meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together ground pork, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, ginger, salt, five spice and pepper with your hands until well combined.

Roll into 24 balls, about 1 ¼ inches wide, using slightly wet hands if needed to prevent the mixture from sticking. Refrigerate to firm slightly while you make the sauce.

To make the sauce: In a large jar, mix the cornstarch with the Shaoxing wine until lump-free. Add the soy sauces, sambal oelek, vinegar, hoisin sauce, five spice and sesame oil and mix to combine.

To cook: Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Cook the meatballs until they are browned all over, but still raw inside — about 4 minutes.

Add the sauce and water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium and cook the meatballs for an additional 5 minutes, rolling them in the sauce, until the sauce reduces and thickens to a syrupy consistency.

To serve: Serve the meatballs and sauce over rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds and green onion, with steamed broccoli.

Notes:

Ground chicken and beef will also work for the meatballs, though they will not be as soft.

Shaoxing wine adds depth of flavor to the sauce. Substitute with dry sherry, cooking sake or mirin. For nonalcoholic, substitute low-sodium chicken broth.

The dark soy sauce can be substituted with more light soy sauce, but the sauce will not be as dark. The light soy sauce can be substituted with an all-purpose soy sauce, but not dark soy sauce (the flavor is too intense).