Burmese Meat Balls

This recipe was passed on to me many years ago by my sensei and good friend, Sensei Ken. He would laugh today if he knew that it was still going strong and my whole family loves it!




Ingredients

500g mince pork
Fresh garlic - 2 cloves
Fresh ginger - equal amount
Thick soy sauce
1 egg - preferably free range!!!
Plain flour

Method

Put mince in a large bowl with garlic and ginger. The recipe says to use fresh garlic and ginger but I finally bit the bullet and used minced garlic and minced ginger I had in the fridge and you know what? It was divine!

Put a hole in the middle of the mince and put the egg in it.

Add the soy sauce.

With clean hands, mixed the ingredients together until well mixed through.

Add plain flour until you achieve the desired consistency. You should be able to pick up the bowl by only holding the mince.

With wet hands, halve the mixture and divide into equal sized meat balls.

At this stage, the recipe - and how I was taught - says to deep fry the meat balls until golden brown. This is still probably the easiest and most consistent way to cook them, but that's not how I did it today.

Cooking Options

Deep fry until golden brown

OR

For a healthier alternative: Put a saucepan on a medium heat. Add a small amount of vegetable oil to the pan and add the meat balls. Put half a cup of water in the pan and cover, leaving them to cook through. After a few minutes, uncover and allow to cook until crisp and golden.

Serving Suggestions

The way this dish is intended to be served is in the centre of the table with a dish of rice and bok choy, and a bowl of sweet chilli sauce to dip the meat balls in.

An alternative, and what I did tonight that was very well received by my two year old AND husband: I served the meat balls on a plate in the centre of the table. In separate bowls I served up barbecue sauce (for the child - it's just not the same if you ask me! lol) and sweet chilli sauce. I also had a dish of noodles and mashed potatoes. Lots of fun, encouraging the family to sit around the table and talk and laugh, and a healthy meal to boot!

I cant believe it's been so long since I've done this dish! I haven't done it in years, but it certainly wont be that long again!!!

I hope you'll try this recipe and PASS IT ON to your friends! And don't forget to post and let me know how you went!