Teriyaki Meatballs

Do you ever get in one of those "I have no idea what I want to eat and for that matter make for dinner?"  I think we all have.  After the DailyBuzz Food Festival last weekend I was in one of those slumps.  I basically had a million different kinds of food over the past few days so it was hard for me to nail down exactly what I wanted to make.  

I did a little research and stumbled across this recipe.  Oh my word.  I'm so happy I did.  These are some tasty little balls.  That sounds weird. 

Anyway, I made these Teriyaki meatballs and served them over rice but I think you could make them as an appetizer and serve them in the crockpot.  I can't say for sure since I haven't tried it but I'm totally going to.  These are going on our faves list.  

Start with a pound of ground pork.  Um, I love this stuff--Hormel is a Minnesota company so that doesn't hurt either.  :)

Grate in some fresh ginger.  Heavenly.

Crack in an egg.  Yes, I'm aware I need a manicure.  Focus on the food people.

Breadcrumbs

Grate in some garlic as well...I was lazy and didn't feel like chopping.

A little bit of soy sauce

Green onion

And several cracks of black pepper.

Using the tools God made you, smash everything together.

Form into little balls and place in a large skillet on medium high heat.  I like to use my cookie scoop so they are about the same size.  No oil needed here, they have enough moisture to keep them from sticking.

Give them a few flips so they are browned on all sides.  After that is done, cover them and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

While the meatballs are in the oven, work on the sauce.  In a small sauce pan add soy sauce

Brown sugar

Water

Toasted sesame seed oil.  Okay, I know some of you might not have this in your pantry but you totally should.  I use it a ton and it adds so much flavor.  Worth biting the bullet for this one folks.

Rice wine vinegar.  You can use plain white vinegar if you don't have it...unsure if it makes that much of a difference.

Grate some ginger into this as well.  Bring to a simmer.

While the sauce is heating through, add some cornstarch to cold water to make a slurry.

While whisking, stir the slurry into the sauce...it will thicken as it heats through.  Add until you have your desired consistency.  If it gets too thick on you, just thin it out with a little water.

Take the meatballs out of the oven

Pour the sauce over the balls.

Toss the meatballs in the glorious sauce.

Serve over rice.  Batta-bing batta-boom.

Saucy.

Teriyaki Meatballs

For the Meatballs:

1 lb ground pork
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
1 egg
1/2 cup Panko (or plain) breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 green onions, chopped finely
1/8 teaspoon or 15 cracks of black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, grated

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

Add the pork, ginger, egg, bread crumbs, soy sauce, green onions, black pepper and garlic into a large bowl.  Using your hands smash until completely combined.

Form into small balls and add to a large oven proof skillet on medium high heat.  Brown a few of the side of the meatball.  After you have done this, cover with an oven proof lid and place in the oven.  Cook for 20 minutes.

For the Sauce:

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (or regular white vinegar)
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cold water
2 tablespoons corn starch

Star by adding the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, sesame seed oil, vinegar and ginger into a medium sauce pan on medium heat.  Bring to a simmer.

In a small cup, add the cold water and corn starch.  Stir until combined to create a slurry.

Slowly pour the slurry into the sauce whisking as you go.  This will thicken the sauce as it heats so go slowly.  If you want a thicker sauce add more slurry.  If you get too thick of a sauce add more water.


To serve, remove the meatballs from the oven and carefully pour the sauce over the meatballs.  Toss in the sauce.  Serve the meatballs over rice, garnish with sesame seeds and additional green onions.

Enjoy!

Recipe slightly modified from: Budget Bytes  which is a TOTALLY fab blog  and you should really check it out.  The end.