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 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.
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 your spicy Asian meatballs until fully warmed through, and serve!
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.
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
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:
nutrition facts
Best meatballs you may ever eat! Made them with ground turkey, but they are such a hit with the family I will be forever doing them again. Thank you Bill & family for all you do & share!
You’re welcome, Sandy!
These are incredible! Thanks for the tip about freezing them first, my meatballs stayed together. I served it with brown fried rice from this site, and Asian blistered green beans. My whole family loved it!
Sounds like it was an amazing meal!
As usual, your recipes and way of explaining them is exemplary. I have two recipes I can’t find on your web site. One is called Mayonnaise Shrimp, and the other is a combination dish called Happy Family. Do you have recipes for these dishes
Mayonnaise shrimp we do have (we call it “walnut shrimp”): https://thewoksoflife.com/walnut-shrimp/
We don’t have a Happy Family recipe, but it’s on our list!
I just ran a trial (on a single frozen meatball) and browned the outside beautifully without managing to cook through. I assume I should keep the heat lower and cook longer, correct? I have no experience with meatballs. Thanks!
Hi Tracy, if cooking them from a frozen state, they will take longer to cook. What you could try is browning the meatballs to get a good sear on the outside, and then finishing them in the oven at 350 degrees F to cook them all the way through!
Hi! Can I do half beef half pork?
Yes you can, Rebecca!
We love these so much! I make huge quadruple batches, and freeze by the batch, uncooked. Easy, lazy supper made even easier.
Love it, Karen!
Do you have a suggestion for a substitute for the basil? It’s literally impossible to get them around where I live! :(
Hey P, you can either sub in regular italian basil for the thai basil, or just omit it entirely!
I love this recipe. I am planning on making a big batch and freezing them for lazy nights. How would you suggest cooking the meatballs once frozen for a few days?
Hey lina, you can just cook the frozen meatballs in an oiled frying pan until they are browned on the outside and cooked through––no need to thaw!
Could I bake this instead of frying?
Hey Lauren, I think so? The pork might be a little lean, though, and the meatballs could dry out in the oven. Let us know how it goes if you try it out in the oven. :)
These are so good! I’m wondering- could I use this meat filling for use in a dumpling?
Hey Sarah, you could certainly try the filling in a dumpling! The only change I would make would be to add some more liquid, to make the dumplings juicier. You can add a bit of water or chicken stock, as well as a few tablespoons of oil! The filling should be a bit of a looser consistency than the meatball mixture, but should still hold together. Hope that helps!