Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (2024)

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Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (1)

by: Sarah

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Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (2)

These are not your run-of-the-mill meatballs. These are special. I was inspired to make this Spicy Asian Meatball recipe after perusing the site for something to make on a weekend afternoon (yes, we do use our own blog sometimes!), and I rediscovered our old recipe for a Meatball Banh Mi that seemed to have gotten a lot of love from The Woks of Life readership.

Decidedly baguette-less, and feeling too lazy to walk the few blocks to the grocery store (it was THAT kind of weekend afternoon), I miraculously had all the ingredients I needed to do some meatball experimentation. Instead of doing a sandwich, however, I served these babies on top of rice.

Which was a good idea. (When is it ever a bad idea to serve something on top of rice?)

The key was making a quick and delicious sauce to roll these little spicy meatballs in. Spooned over steamed jasmine rice, with some leafy herbs mixed in, and a squeeze of lime, it was heaven in a bowl.

Serve Over Rice, as an Appetizer, or On Bread

Now, you don’t have to serve these the same way I did. You can also just serve them on their own, as an appetizer. Just add toothpicks. Or, if you DO happen to have a baguette in the house (or you’re simply not as lazy as I am), you can do a sandwich.

These Asian meatballs also do really well in the freezer. Simply freeze them solid on a parchment paper-lined tray, and then transfer to a freezer bag. You can take them out and fry them up whenever the meatball cravings strike.

Ok, enough talk. Let’s cook.

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (3)

Spicy Asian Meatballs: Recipe Instructions

In a bowl, combine the ground pork, cilantro, Thai basil, scallions, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and 2 teaspoons sugar.

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (4)

Form into meatballs (you should get about 20). Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes.

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (5)

After the meatballs have been chilled, heat a tablespoon of oil in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat.

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (6)

Fry the meatballs until browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (7)

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (8)

Put the skillet over medium heat, and immediately add the stock to deglaze, scraping up the bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, the remaining tablespoon of fish sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (9)

Bring to a simmer, and add the cornstarch slurry. Stir for a couple minutes, until thickened. Add the lime juice and the meatballs back into the pan. Simmer your spicy Asian meatballs until fully warmed through, and serve!

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (10)

You can serve these Spicy Asian Meatballs by themselves as an appetizer (toothpick time), or in a bowl with rice with some extra herbs on the side.

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (11)

Not gonna lie, the rice is a compelling option with these Asian Meatballs. Especially with all that extra sauce you have in the pan!

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (12)

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (13)

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5 from 9 votes

Spicy Asian Meatballs

These spicy Asian meatballs are not your run-of-the-mill variety. These Asian meatballs are delicious, unique and will redefine your meatball expectations!

by: Sarah

Course:Appetizers and Snacks

Cuisine:Asian

Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (14)

serves: 4

Prep: 45 minutes minutes

Cook: 20 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons Thai basil (chopped)
  • 1 scallion (chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (divided)
  • 4 teaspoons sugar (divided)
  • ½ cup chicken or pork stock
  • 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or any rice wine or dry sherry)
  • 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch (dissolved into 1 tablespoon water)
  • 1 lime (juiced)

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine the ground pork, cilantro, basil, scallions, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and 2 teaspoons sugar. Form into meatballs (you should get about 20). Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes.

  • After the meatballs have been chilled, heat a tablespoon of oil in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Fry the meatballs until browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

  • Put the skillet over medium heat, and immediately add the stock to deglaze, scraping up the bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, the remaining tablespoon of fish sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar.

  • Bring to a simmer, and add the cornstarch slurry. Stir for a couple minutes, until thickened. Add the lime juice and the meatballs back into the pan. Simmer the meatballs until fully warmed through, and serve!

Tips & Notes:

Makes 20 meatballs.

nutrition facts

Calories: 362kcal (18%) Carbohydrates: 10g (3%) Protein: 21g (42%) Fat: 24g (37%) Saturated Fat: 9g (45%) Cholesterol: 83mg (28%) Sodium: 953mg (40%) Potassium: 402mg (11%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 5g (6%) Vitamin A: 245IU (5%) Vitamin C: 4.3mg (5%) Calcium: 24mg (2%) Iron: 1.3mg (7%)

nutritional info disclaimer

TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, we are not certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. Various online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.

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Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (19)

About Sarah

Sarah is the older daughter/sister in The Woks of Life family. Creator of quick and easy recipes for harried home cooks and official Woks of Life photographer, she grew up on episodes of Ready Set Cook and Good Eats. She loves the outdoors (and of course, *cooking* outside), and her obsession with food continues to this day.

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Spicy Asian Meatballs Recipe - The Woks of Life (2024)

FAQs

Why is it called lion's head meatballs? ›

The name "lion's head", derives from the shape of the meatball which is supposed to resemble the head of the Chinese guardian lion, specifically. The dish originated in Yangzhou and Zhenjiang, to a lesser degree, Huai'an, while the plain variety is more common in Yangzhou and the red variety more common in Zhenjiang.

What are Korean meatballs made of? ›

Korean meatballs are typically made with ground beef, crumbs, eggs, and Asian flavors like gochujang, garlic, scallions, ginger, and soy sauce.

What is the name of the Chinese meatballs? ›

An authentic Lion's head meatball recipe that uses breadcrumbs, water chestnuts, and aromatics to make super light, fluffy and juicy meatballs that are bursting with flavor. Chinese pork meatballs are also called lion's head (狮子头, shi zi tou). They feature tender, moist, and light meatballs with a savory taste.

Can you freeze par cooked meatballs? ›

Meatballs make great freezer meals. They can be frozen either cooked or uncooked and keep well for up to 2 months. For super convenient and time saving meals, simply make a double batch of meatballs and freeze the extra!

What do Italians call meatballs? ›

Called polpettes, Italian meatballs are often served sauceless and are much smaller than the meatballs you're probably used to. Traditional Italian meatballs typically contain equal portions of meat and soaked bread, and other additions such as egg and vegetables.

Why are Vietnamese meatballs chewy? ›

Some of the Bò Viên brands you would find at Asian stores are very chewy due to the hàn the (borax) that is added. In oriental cooking, hàn the used as a cooking ingredient is to add a firm rubbery texture to the food, or as a preservative.

What is Vietnamese meatball made of? ›

The texture is smooth, compact and packed with unbelievable flavors: Thai chilies, ginger, garlic, cilantro and fish sauce are mixed with ground beef to form perfect little round balls that will then be dressed or dipped into a sweet and spicy hoisin sauce.

What are Thai meatballs made of? ›

The meatballs are a pretty simple mix of ground chicken, garlic, ginger, and lots of black pepper. Roll this all together, then pan-fry the meatballs in a bit of olive oil to get them nice and crispy on the outside. At this point, add in the shallots, bell peppers, and peanuts.

What are Hawaiian meatballs made of? ›

All you need is some ground beef, plus milk, eggs, breadcrumbs, and a few seasonings. The secret to these sweet and sour meatballs is the deliciously sticky sauce. (and the sauce ingredients are super simple to grab!) Not only is it soaked into every bite, but it creates a glossy coating that lets these beauties shine!

What are Indonesian meatballs called? ›

Bakso or baso is an Indonesian meatball, or a meat paste made from beef surimi. Its texture is similar to the Chinese beef ball, fish ball, or pork ball. The word bakso may refer to a single meatball or the complete dish of meatball soup.

What are the three dots called meatballs? ›

The term "meatballs menu" is a colloquial name derived from the visual appearance of the three dots, which somewhat resemble meatballs stacked on top of each other. It's a fun and informal way to refer to this type of menu.

Is it better to bake meatballs at 350 or 400? ›

For 1-2 inches of beef, pork, or turkey meatballs without any pre-cooking, use these guidelines for your wall oven:
  • 350°F wall oven:
  • 8–14 minutes for 1-inch meatballs.
  • 14–18 minutes for 2-inch meatballs.
  • 400°F wall oven:
  • 6–10 minutes for 1-inch meatballs.
  • 10–14 minutes for 2-inch meatballs.
  • 425°F wall oven:
Aug 16, 2023

Why do you chill meatballs before baking? ›

Tip: Whether you're baking, broiling, pan-searing or adding meatballs directly to simmering liquid, always chill meatballs before cooking so that they hold their shape better and don't fall apart. This is especially important when working with pork, turkey and chicken, which are very wet when ground.

Can I leave uncooked meatballs in the fridge overnight? ›

You can make and shape meatballs ahead of time and store them covered for up to one day in the refrigerator. The freezer is also a great storage option for meatballs.

How did lion's head get its name? ›

History. In the 17th century the peak was known as Leeuwen Kop (Lion's Head) by the Dutch, and Signal Hill was known as Leeuwen Staart (Lion's Tail), as the shape resembles a crouching lion or a sphinx.

What is the hair around a lion's neck called? ›

Use the noun mane when you talk about an animal's ruff of neck hair. A male lion's mane can be very fluffy and dramatic. A mane is a patch or growth of long hair, whether it's found on a lion or down the neck of a pony, or even on a human's head.

What do they call meatballs in Europe? ›

In Austria, fried meatballs are called Fleischlaibchen or Fleischlaberl. In Belgium, meatballs are called ballekes or buletten in Flanders and are usually made of a mixture of beef and pork with bread crumbs and sliced onions. Many other variations exist, including different kinds of meat and chopped vegetables.

What's the difference between meatballs and Italian meatballs? ›

American meatballs are the biggest in size, with Italian and Swedish meatballs following on the depth chart. Italian meatballs call for seasonings like grated parmesan and oregano, while Swedish ones use seasonings like nutmeg and allspice. While it doesn't sound like a huge distinction, you'll notice it in the taste!

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