Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze

I’m apparently on a full-on meatball kick this year, and honestly, I’m not mad about it. There’s just something about a good meatball that hits every time, especially when it leans into those bold Asian-inspired flavors. These definitely delivered.

They weren’t wildly different from the batch I made last night, but the flavor profile shifted just enough to make them stand out. These had a stronger scallion flavor, which I actually preferred, and the sauce leaned much more savory than sweet. Lots of soy goodness happening here. I really enjoyed them, though halfway through dinner I realized these would have absolutely benefited from a squirt of sriracha. Next time, for sure.

I cut the recipe in half, but apparently I also failed to read it carefully. The recipe called for half of a slightly beaten egg, and my brain somehow translated that into “throw the whole thing in.” Oops. The mixture ended up way too wet, so I added some panko in hopes it would soak up the extra moisture. I’m not entirely convinced it helped much. The meatballs were super delicate and required a gentle touch while frying so they didn’t completely fall apart.

I should also mention that I used ground beef again instead of the pork-and-chicken combo the original recipe called for. I had already thawed the beef by mistake the night before and wasn’t about to pull out more meat just to make half a recipe. Honestly, the beef worked perfectly fine here, but I am curious how the lighter chicken and pork combination would change the texture and flavor. That might have to be another meatball experiment for another night.

Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze

Recipe from Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

Makes 3 doz meatballs

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce, preferably Japanese or reduced sodium
• 1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped peeled ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 whole black peppercorns

For the Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 4 large scallions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Splash of fish sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Vegetable oil for frying

Make the sauce: Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar melts completely. Reduce heat to medium-low and add soy sauce, mirin, ginger, coriander and peppercorns. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve. (Can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.)

Make meatballs: Combine chicken and pork in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Mix meat mixture, scallions, garlic, cilantro, egg, sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, pepper and cornstarch together in a bowl. Roll tablespoons of mixture into 1-inch balls, about the size of a walnut. Line the meatballs up on a baking sheet and chill in the fridge until you’re ready to cook them.

Coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with vegetable oil and place over medium-high heat, . Working in batches to avoid crowding, place meatballs in pan and fry, until lightly browned all over, about 3-4 minutes per batch. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through.

Arrange on a serving platter, spoon a little glaze over each meatball, and serve with toothpicks.