Spicy, Sticky, Sweet, Asian Meatballs

March 26, 2013 by 18 Comments

The first time I made these I just sort of threw them together, I didn’t take great notes and I didn’t get a picture. Of course Jesse loved them (and so did I) and said they had to go on the blog, so I had to do my best to recreate them. The second time they turned out even better than the first and we’ve since had them twice in a month. That’s a sure sign of winner in our house.

I wanted to call these “Hot, sticky, sweet” Asian meatballs. You know, after the song. But Jesse thought it sounded better with all S’s, so Spicy, Sticky, Sweet Asian Meatballs they are. Either way, it’s the best way to describe these. The chili garlic sauce gives the sauce a nice heat, which is also carried through in the meatballs. But the spicy flavor is balanced out with the sweet, sticky sauce and pop of fresh ginger.

In non-food related news, I’m headed to Boston tomorrow! What’s in Boston? The Irish Dancing World Championships, that’s what! I get to see my dance family that I’ve missed so much AND I get to watch my cousin dance in her first solo worlds competition. I couldn’t be more excited! I’ll let you know how it goes!


Spicy, Sticky, Sweet, Asian Meatballs

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce (more if you like a lot of heat)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp fresh grated ginger*

1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
1/4 cup and 1 Tbsp diced green onions, including whites, divided
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup mushrooms, finely diced
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger*
2 tsp chili garlic sauce
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
sesame seeds for garnish

*Helpful Tip: Store ginger in the freezer. When you need it, just grate with a zester right off the frozen chunk!

Directions
In a small saucepan, whisk together the first group of ingredients (water through grated ginger). Heat over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat medium-low and simmer until reduced and thickened.

While the sauce is thickening, combine the second group of ingredients (reserving one tablespoon of the green onion tops) in a medium bowl. Shape into 2-inch meatballs.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook for about 6 minutes, turning to brown all sides evenly. Reduce heat to medium and pour in the sauce. Continue to cook for 5-10 minutes, or until a meatball cut in half is fully cooked/no longer pink, and the sauce coats the meatballs.

Serve hot over rice with steamed baby bok choy and sesame seeds and green onion tops for garnish.

Sunny Side Up Original

Here are some other cool Meatball recipes, all made with ground turkey instead of beef!

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
Southwest Turkey Meatballs

Filed Under: Asian Food, Main Course, Poultry, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Foil Packet Soy-Lime Salmon with Green Beans

January 11, 2013 by 1 Comment


So, technically, I made this salmon in a parchment packet and not a foil packet (because who runs out of foil? me!), but who’s counting? What really matters is that this dinner was fast, easy, delicious, and nutritious.

When Jesse asked what was for dinner and I told him salmon he got that sad puppy dog look. It’s not that he doesn’t like seafood/fish, he just isn’t ever really excited about it. He definitely changed his look after the first bite. The foil (or parchment) locks in the moisture and the flavor leaving you with a perfectly cooked salmon filet and flavorful green beans.

 

Foil Packet Soy-Lime Salmon with Green Beans

Ingredients
4 6-oz salmon filets
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp honey
Red pepper flakes
3 green onions, cut and divided (white and light green parts separated from dark green)
1 lime, quartered
Green beans, trimmed (About 12-15 per packet)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare foil by cutting into sheets 12-14 inches long.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and honey. Place a salmon filet in the center of sheet of foil. Generously brush with sauce. Squeeze lime over the filet. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and the white and light green parts of the green onions. Top with green beans, garlic, ginger, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Seal the foil by bring the sides together and pinching along the seam. Then fold in the ends.

Bake for 18 minutes. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before opening foil and transferring to a plate. Serve with the rest of the green onion tops and any sauce left in the foil packets.

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

 

Filed Under: Easy Weeknight Dinner, Main Course, Seafood, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Honey Sesame Chicken

September 4, 2012 by 8 Comments

I am surrounded by delicious, authentic Chinese food and I have lots of local favorites. There is a cabbage dish at a local restaurant that I could literally eat every single day for the rest of my life. I’ve also come to appreciate and love a level of spicy unlike anything I’ve ever had in the US (seriously, not the kind of spicy that makes you sweat, the kind that literally makes your mouth go numb). And there is a green bean dish that I order at every single restaurant that has it. But sometimes….

Well… sometimes I crave American Chinese food. That’s right. I live in China and I crave Chinese food – from America. Food that is sticky and sweet and salty (kind of like the Jack Daniels Glaze). Sad, I know.

I was having one of those cravings a few weeks ago, so I went on the hunt for a recipe. I came across this Honey Sesame Chicken and I knew it would be a winner. This chicken had all of the flavors I was looking for. The recipe originally called for using a crockpot – but I don’t have one here in China, so I just used my dutch oven and cooked it in the oven. It was still very easy and mostly hands off! I’ll include both methods so you can choose!

 

Honey Sesame Chicken

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup diced onion
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (1/4-1/2 tsp dry)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds

*This recipe made enough for Jesse and I to each have generous portions and left overs for lunch the next day.

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in dutch oven (or crockpot). In a liquid measuring cup, combine the honey, soy sauce, diced onion, ketchup, vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Pour the liquid over the chicken.

Cook in the preheated oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or in crockpot on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours). Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, move to a plate and shred with a fork. Leave the cooking liquid in the dutch oven (or crockpot).

Stir together cornstarch and water. Pour into the cooking liquid. Place the dutch oven on a stove-top burner on medium-high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened (stir the cornstarch/water into the liquid in the crock, leave on high and cook for 10 minutes). Return the shredded chicken to the sauce and stir to coat.

Serve chicken hot over rice with a good amount of sesame seeds.

Adapted from Six Sisters originally from Baby Center

 

Filed Under: Asian Food, Chicken, Crockpot, Dinner, Easy Weeknight Dinner, Main Course, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Copycat Jack Daniels Glaze

August 24, 2012 by 14 Comments

One thing you might not know about me is that I am a dip and sauce fanatic. I’m the girl that bugs the waiter/waitress for extra sauces – pretty much every single time I go out to eat. Extra side of salsa, a side of ranch, extra buffalo sauce, extra Yum Yum sauce…. You get the picture. Especially if there are fries and/or a wrap/sandwich of some sort. I think I might even embarrass Jesse a little bit because I’ve been known to ask for 3 or more sauces at one time.  It’s a problem, that’s for sure.

There is a popular chain restaurant that has a featured menu that is all about Jack Daniels Glaze. It’s sweet, salty, sticky, and delicious. We don’t go to that restaurant very often, but when we do, you can bet we’ll order the Sesame Jack Chicken Strips as an appetizer. And chances are good that I will also ask for an extra side of the sauce, just so I can dip my fries in it later.

When I came across this copycat on Kate’s blog during a previous recipe swap I was super excited. Of course that time around the Enchilada Casserole won the blog spot, but I didn’t forget about this glaze. When I was assigned Kate’s blog again for this swap, it was fate.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to come clean and tell you that the sauce I made would technically have to be Johnnie Walker Glaze, since the only whiskey we have on hand at the moment is a bottle of black label. It’s technically different because it’s a Scotch whiskey and not a Tennessee Whiskey, but it worked. And guess what, this sauce is pretty spot! The only other change I made was to use only soy sauce instead of soy and teriyaki because… well, because I can’t read most of the labels at the grocery store (Chinese characters) so I’m not sure if my store had teriyaki sauce!


Copycat Jack Daniels Glaze

Ingredients
1 head of garlic- roasted
2/3 cup water
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup soy sauce (alternatively you could use 1/4 cup teriyaki and 1 Tbsp soy sauce)
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp  white onion, minced
1 Tbsp Jack Daniels Whiskey *
1 Tbsp pineapple, very finely minced
1/2 tsp minced ginger (omit if using teriyaki sauce)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

*Obviously, you can substitute Johnnie Walker or any other decent brand of Whiskey. 

Directions
To roast the garlic, cut the top off of a head of garlic so the ends of the cloves are exposed. Peel off any excess layers of the papery skin. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and loosely wrap with aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, or until the cloves appear golden brown.

In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the water, pineapple juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer.

Squeeze out the roasted garlic and whisk in to the simmering liquid, discard the papery skin. Add the lemon juice, onion, whiskey, pineapple, ginger, and cayenne paper and stir to combine.

Continue to simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally, or until the liquid has reduced by half and is thick and syrupy*. Careful not to let the liquid boil over.

Glaze can be basted onto meats (chicken, steak, shrimp) while grilling, or drizzled over crispy chicken strips (and sprinkle with sesame seeds!), or used as a dipping sauce for fries.

* If your sauce doesn’t thicken up as much as you want it to, you can stir together 1 tsp of corn starch and 2 tsp of cold water, and add that to the sauce.

Adapted from Kate’s Recipe Box, originally from Insider’s Recipes Master Edition

 

 

Filed Under: Grill, Sauce/Condiment Tagged With: , , , , , ,