Several weeks ago, I received an email from one of the many listserves that I am subscribed to. Usually, I don't even open the email (Hey, give me a break--I'm no longer involved in the group!) and it goes directly to my trash folder. For what ever crazy reason, that day I decided to open the email and I'm glad I did!
The gal mentioned she would be bringing Mongolian Meatballs to the meeting. My first reaction was, "What the heck are Mongolian Meatballs?!" Naturally, I went on Pinterest and much to my surprise, I didn't find anything :-( If it wasn't on Pinterest, did Mongolian Meatballs really exist?! I was starting to panic.
I did the next best thing that any smart person would do. I googled "Mongolian Meatballs" and again, I was surprised by the results. But this time around, I was pleasantly surprised. Google actually found BUNCHES of recipes! I read through a few and there were huge variations. One recipe called for a mixture of ground meats--beef, lamb, pork--and super exotic spices plus all-day-long cooking methods...others called for 1 type of ground meat, an egg and a pressure cooker. The anxiety really started to set-in.
Eventually, I found one that seemed to be my middle-of-the-road recipe. It called for simple ingredients and didn't require too much of my time. Plus, the blogger is a professional chef turned Stay-At-Home-Mom. If I have learned anything in my life, SAHM's are generally amazing cooks. And combine that with a SAHM who is a chef?! I knew this recipe had to be good.
I finally got around to trying the recipe the other night. As I put everything together, I started to have some serious doubts. Especially, with the bottled hoison sauce. There's rarely a time that I use the bottled stuff and I actually end up liking the recipe :-/ I'm not sure what it is, but the flavor always seems very far from authentic.
Anyhow, I was too far into the recipe to call it quits. I put the meatballs in the oven, prepped the vegetables, started the rice and hoped for the best. If it turned into an epic fail, it wouldn't be the first time we had placed a delivery order after trying a new recipe!
Finally, everything was ready and we plated up the food. I took one bite and was quite amazed! The meatballs were actually good. And not just good. But delicous!
I decided to let the husband try a few bites before I would ask "Well, whatdya think?" But before I even had a chance to ask, he said, "Wow! What are these meatballs? They're really good. Can we have them again?"
Well, that was a huge change from his usual, "Oh--they're fine" response! This recipe will definitely have a home in our "For Keeps" file. If you're up for trying an easy and delicious variation on your typical meatballs, give this recipe a try! The original recipe can be found at http://sahmchef.blogspot.com/2011/07/mongolian-beef-meatballs.html; I made only a few minor changes and "my" version is below. Enjoy!
 |
Image courtesy of The Stay-at-Home-Mom Chef
|
 |
Image courtesy of The Stay-at-Home-Mom Chef
|
Mongolian Beef Meatballs
Yield: 4 to 6, depending on who you're feeding--or 2, if it's J-Money and me:)
Ingredients:
1/2 C hoisin sauce
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C brown sugar
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 to 1/2 t red pepper flakes (adjust the heat to your taste)
1 egg
1/2 C plain bread crumbs (I used crushed corn flakes)
1 pound ground beef
2 bunches green onions, sliced on the bias into 1 inch pieces
1 C matchstick cut carrots
vegetable oil
In a mixing bowl, combine the hoisin, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder ground ginger, and red pepper flakes. You should have 1 liquid cup. Remove all but 1/4 C from the bowl and set aside.
Whisk 1 egg into the sauce in the mixing bowl, then add the ground beef and bread crumbs. Combine with your hands as you would a meatloaf or other meatball, then shape into ping pong ball sized meatballs. You should get 24 (we made our's larger and had about 14)
Bake in a preheated 250 degree oven on a parchment lined baking sheet (or broiler pan) for about 20 minutes until done. Because mine were on the larger side, I baked them for about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, heat one turn of the pan of vegetable oil to rippling hot. Add the carrots and cook 1 minute. Add the green onions and cook 30 seconds. Add the meatballs and reserve 3/4 C sauce, toss to combine, and cook for 1 minute more, until hot. Serve immediately with cooked rice.
No comments:
Post a Comment