Move over pies and crisps. Rhubarb, when paired with ginger, makes a sassy and tangy glaze for savory Asian-style meatballs.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork or a mixture of ½ pound ground turkey and ½ pound ground pork (You can do this with many different ground meats, but I’ve found that lean turkey with rich, fatty pork is a nice combination for this dish.)
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 heaping teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ cup diced white or gold onions
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2-3 large stalks rhubarb, thinly sliced (2 cups)
- ¼ cup water or cranberry juice
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- ⅓ cup tamari sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons sliced scallions
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all the meatball ingredients together.
Form into 1-inch balls.
Assemble on a baking tray and bake for about 12 minutes, until golden brown, turning once.
While baking, put the water and rhubarb in a large skillet and add the sweetener slowly, cooking for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
Add the next six ingredients and continue to simmer until the glaze is reduced by half.
Add the sesame oil and sriracha sauce.
Add the meatballs to the skillet and stir to coat.
Before serving, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
Serve over rice or noodles. Shown here are meatballs served over soba noodles. Rice noodles or wheat pasta will also work well.
