You bake these meatballs which is why I love this recipe. No need to crane over a frypan browning a batch of meatballs, they puff up beautifully in the oven all in one go. They are great for a simple flavourful Asian meal, and kids love them too if you omit the chill – serve with some chilli oil or sauce for the adults instead or halve the batch and add fresh chilli to one. Or like the picture below – sprinkle a few with some dried chill flakes.
These meatballs are also a picnic favourite since I saw Poh take some on her outing in her cooking show – the inspiration for this dish. I tried her recipe yet prefer this one for its soft, fluffy texture that I love especially with the soft noodles.
Based on a Gourmet Traveller recipe, and a great one for kids to cook - my daughter loves to make this one.
Pictured: Baked Chinese Pork Meatballs with Hoisin and Ginger600g minced pork
30g self-raising flour
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp ginger, finely grated
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
Optional – 1 small red chilli finely diced, can remove seeds if you do not want too much heat
Preheat your oven to a hot 240°C.
Mix all the ingredients together – it will be a fairly wet mixture don’t worry, as you will be baking them rather than browning and turning them around in a pan, plus they puff up a little with the self-raising flour and it all comes together.
Lay baking paper or foil on a large baking tray – spread or spray with a little oil.
Roll golf-ball sized meatballs and lay them out on the tray – press down flat a little.
Bake 6 minutes each side or once browned flip them over and remove when both sides are browned.
I like to serve these with the Asian Coleslaw - use any noodles you like though as it can also work with Somen, Soba ,even thick rice noodles. Definitely top with some roasted chopped nuts –as the crunch is perfect to the soft fluffy meatballs.
Serves 4
Pictured: Chinese Pork Meatballs ready for baking, some sprinkled with chilli flakes