3 hours ago
3
I make variations of these meatballs every fortnight for my children, usually with chicken mince. The texture is fantastic and, whisper it, they’re even better made in an air fryer. Yes, I finally got one and it’s fantastic. You do, however, have to cook them all in one layer, which, depending on the size of your air-fryer basket, might mean cooking them in multiple batches. It feels more efficient to make them all in one go, though, so I’ve provided oven timings below.
Ginger sesame meatballs with rice and greens
Use your favourite and the best-quality mince you can get – it makes a big difference to the flavour and feels like a real treat.
Prep 15 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4
4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
3 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 tbsp sesame seeds
10g coriander, leaves and tender stems
50g fresh white breadcrumbs (I just blitz whatever bread we have in)
500g mince (chicken, lamb or vegan)
1 egg
1 tsp sea salt flakes
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 pak choi, cut into quarters
200g basmati rice
400ml boiling water
For the dressing
100g smooth or crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
2 small garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
2cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
Tip the ginger, garlic, spring onions, sesame seeds, coriander and breadcrumbs into a food processor and blitz to a rough paste. Add the mince, egg and salt, and blitz again briefly until evenly incorporated. (Alternatively, finely chop the spring onions and coriander by hand, then mix everything in a large bowl.)
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Divide and shape the meatball mixture into just larger than walnut-in-the-shell-sized balls, and transfer to a large roasting tin. Drizzle with half the sesame oil and gently turn the meatballs so they get coated in the oil. Dress the pak choi with the remaining oil, then arrange in between the meatballs – you want the meatballs on top, so they brown. Bake for 25 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
Meanwhile, put the rice and boiling water in a microwaveable bowl (I use a large Pyrex one), cover with a tight-fitting lid or a snug plate, and cook in a microwave on a medium heat (in mine, it’s 600W out of a maximum 800W) for 11 minutes, then leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a bowl, using a couple of tablespoons of water to loosen, if need be. Taste and adjust the soy and vinegar as needed, and set aside.
Serve the meatballs, pak choi and rice hot, with the sauce alongside.
