Asian Meatballs

This past week I have been in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona visiting my Aunt and Uncle.  It been an annual trip these last few years and every time I am here, to thank them, I cook them and their friends a five course meal.  Each year there is a different theme for the menu. This year I decided to go with an Asian theme.  Part of the fun of cooking this special meal is discovering new stores in the area to purchase the ingredients.  This year was no exception. I found a spectacular Asian Market in Phoenix and we spent a fun afternoon gathering all the special ingredients I needed to make my menu.

One of the courses were these cocktail meatballs that are perfect for a party or even for a casual meal.  They are great served on their own or served with rice and vegetables for a complete meal.  The ingredients and steps are super simple. This recipe made 20 small to medium-sized meatballs.  You can make them all and freeze them cooked or you can freeze half on a cookie sheet before baking them and then add them to a ziploc bag to store in the freezer until you are ready to thaw and cook them at a later date.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 2lbs of Ground Pork
• 2 T of Minced Fresh Ginger
• 3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
• 3 Green Onions, White and Green Parts, Sliced Thin
• 2 T of Soy Sauce
• 1/2 C of Crushed Roasted Peanuts
• 1 T of Peanut Butter
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste
• 1 T of Onion Powder
• 1 T of Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs

For the Glaze

• 1/2 C of Soy Sauce
• 1/4 C of Vegetable Oil
• 1 T of Peanut Butter
• 2 Green Onions, Sliced Thin

The steps are super simple, the key to this recipe is making sure the meatballs rest on the counter before baking them.

Steps

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. This mixture is messy to work with so you may want to wear gloves. Mix the ingredients well until they are combined, but do not overwork the meat mixture.
3. Use about 2 T of the meat mixture and form 2 inch size balls, you may need to add more or less meat to each ball to make them even so that they cook evenly.  The peanuts also pop out a little bit, while rolling, push them into the center of the meatball.
4. Place each rolled meatball onto a foil lined cookie sheet. When you have them all rolled, let them rest on the cookie sheet for 30 minutes at room temperature.
5. Heat your oven to 375 degrees and place the meatballs in to bake, this should take about 20 minutes, test one to make sure they are done before taking them out of the oven.
6. To make your glaze add your vegetable oil and say sauce and bring to a low simmer.  Add the peanut butter and whisk until well combined and creamy.
7. Add the meatballs to the pan and toss to coat. Top with the green onions and serve!

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Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 2lbs of Ground Pork
• 2 T of Minced Fresh Ginger
• 3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
• 3 Green Onions, White and Green Parts, Sliced Thin
• 2 T of Soy Sauce
• 1/2 C of Crushed Roasted Peanuts
• 1 T of Peanut Butter
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste
• 1 T of Onion Powder
• 1 T of Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs

For the Glaze

• 1/2 C of Soy Sauce
• 1/4 C of Vegetable Oil
• 1 T of Peanut Butter
• 2 Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Steps

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. This mixture is messy to work with so you may want to wear gloves. Mix the ingredients well until they are combined, but do not overwork the meat mixture.
3. Use about 2 T of the meat mixture and form 2 inch size balls, you may need to add more or less meat to each ball to make them even so that they cook evenly.  The peanuts also pop out a little bit, while rolling, push them into the center of the meatball.
4. Place each rolled meatball onto a foil lined cookie sheet. When you have them all rolled, let them rest on the cookie sheet for 30 minutes at room temperature.
5. Heat your oven to 375 degrees and place the meatballs in to bake, this should take about 20 minutes, test one to make sure they are done before taking them out of the oven.
6. To make your glaze add your vegetable oil and say sauce and bring to a low simmer.  Add the peanut butter and whisk until well combined and creamy.
7. Add the meatballs to the pan and toss to coat. Top with the green onions and serve!