Teriyaki Meatballs

Meatballs are probably one of the most perfect foods and one of the most versatile. You can use any type of ground meat or even a combination of meats for more flavor, you can season them up any way you want, and you can use them in pasta dishes, soups, sandwiches, or simply serve them as appetizers. 

I created this recipe a couple years ago. I was tired of making teriyaki chicken (which, to be fair, is not difficult, just boring) and I thought, well, why not use ground chicken instead and make meatballs? I wanted the meatballs to have a lot of flavor, so I included the traditional Asian seasonings of garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and scallions. With the addition of bottled teriyaki sauce (don't judge me!), both in the meatball mix and then as a glaze before baking, I ended up with a flavorful alternative for dinner.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground turkey or chicken

1 bunch of scallions, chopped

1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled & minced

4 garlic cloves, peeled, mashed & chopped

2 TBSPS sesame oil

3 TBSPS teriyaki sauce

1 egg

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Form into balls (I used my portion scoop and they were about 2 inches).  Place in a large baking dish and then add some more teriyaki sauce over top, maybe a 1/4 cup or so.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. After you remove them from the oven, leave the foil on and let them sit while you make some roasted broccoli with sesame oil (roast at 350 for 20 minutes). Serve with brown rice.

Cook's notes:

1. If you have never cooked with sesame oil, DO IT. But do not buy those teeny overpriced bottles at your regular grocery store. You can buy higher quality oil in larger amounts for less money at any Asian market, such as Uwajimaya or H-Mart. Sesame oil is used in marinades, dipping sauces, and it's added at the end of cooking or as a garnish. Otherwise, the lovely nutty flavor cooks out in high heat and you've essentially wasted the oil.

2. Homemade teriyaki sauce isn't difficult to make and I really should make my own. But instead, I reach for the bottle (so to speak). Because I patronize Asian marts, I can buy great tasting teriyaki sauce. Use whatever brand you like and don't feel bad about it!

3. Fresh ginger root. I am in LOVE with fresh ginger. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love it: the spicy scent which stays on my fingers long after I've peeled and grated chunks for a dish, the warming flavor which adds so much depth to a dish or jazzes up a plain chicken stock, and even the medicinal aspects of taming nausea and soothing sore throats. I suffer from migraines and motion sickness, so I keep ginger candies on hand for those times when I'm nauseated. Which is probably more than you need to know, but hey. No one is forcing you to read this blog. Or if someone is forcing you to read it, they're guilty of human rights violations.

I'm thinking that I'll need to do more recipes on meatballs in the future. I've made koftas, which are Middle Eastern flavored meatballs; I've made Italian seasoned meatballs for pasta dishes; I've even gone the retro route and simmered meatballs in a mixture of chili sauce and grape jelly (hello, 1960s!). Those were a huge hit, prompting someone to ask me for the secret; I was almost ashamed to pass along the "recipe".