It’s a fairly accurate indication of how charmed my life is these days that I considered the act of having to choose what I would make to bring to a New Years Party tomorrow difficult. If makes you wonder what I’d consider easy — which spa gift certificate I should use first to get a manicure before the party? Whether I should wear the earrings from this year’s or last year’s little blue box to the party? Which jet to take there? It’s all in a day of the glamorous life of a food blogger. Ahem.
In the last year, I’ve made a lot of jabs, mostly in my own direction, about how much various projects that I thought I’d handle like a pro have in fact kicked my ass — in order, those would be: a toddler, a cookbook, trying to have evenings and weekends work-free for Fun Family Things (even if they’re, like, “Let’s go buy mama more conditioner and eat warm pretzels along the way!”) and this weird blend of feeling like I have absolutely no time for myself while also spending too much time by myself. We are definitely not going to discuss how many hours I have spent this year wondering how anyone ever gets dinner on the table/keeps an apartment clean/gets any sleep/takes vacations… all while looking cute. Nope, definitely not that either. But if you could read through the self-deprecation and exhaustion, I always hoped you’d figure out that I was, am, totally blissed out by this life I ended up with. This gig — 4:30 a.m. wake-ups, this beast and all — is pretty sweet and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I hope next year involves more of the same, with a little more travel and a lot more hanging out with people like you.
Back in the party snacks department, tiny meatballs will always win. No disrespect to spiced nut mixes, pickled things, deviled eggs and rich, fancy things on toast, what tiny meatballs have on all of them is that they feel like a little meal, and not just an additional layer of indulgence. Seeing as I lack the coordination these days to tuck in a wholesome dinner before heading out, it’s always my secret hope that the party will have things that look less like potato chips and more like an adorable replica of something with sustenance. This year, I’m bringing my own. The recipe hails from the Canal House Cookbooks, Volume 3. I went on and on about my love for them last year, and it hasn’t abated. In fact, now I even get a daily dose to make my lunch feel inadequate swoon over. These meatballs are from an early volume and it took me way too long to make them. I imagine they’d be as welcome at a Chinese New Year Party in January. They come together pretty quickly and unlike most meatball recipes, which require browning and then simmering or baking, they only require the one step to cook.
I hope whatever your New Years plans may be that you have a grand one, with lots of little bites, big kisses, and that someone makes you these in the morning.
Two years ago: Walnut Pesto and Spicy Caramel Popcorn
Three years ago: Pecan Sandies and Sugar-and-Spice Candied Nuts
Four years ago: Caramel Cake
Five years ago: Russian Tea Cakes and Coq au Vin
Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze
Adapted from Canal House Cooking, vol. 3
I fiddled with the recipe a bit, using less cilantro and ginger than called for and cooking the sauce for much longer than suggested, in hopes to make it a true glaze that would hang onto the sides of a dipped meatball. I almost dialed back the sugar, but once the glaze was all reduced, I ended up liking the sweetness to balance out the salty kickiness of the soy and ginger.
Note: This recipe is gluten-free if you use a soy sauce that is labeled gluten free. There were many options on the shelf at the store.
Yield: The original recipe suggest 24 but I got 34. This pleased me.
Sauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce, preferably Japanese or reduced sodium
1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine), or 1/2 cup sake with 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup peeled, chopped ginger (I used half and it tasted like plenty to me; adjust to your preference)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 whole black peppercorns (no, I did not count how many I put in there)
Meatballs
1 pound ground turkey
4 large or 6 small scallions, finely chopped
Half bunch cilantro, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) (the cilantro-averse can use flat-leaf parsley)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sesame oil, toasted if you can find it
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil
Make sauce: Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar melts completely. Reduce heat to a medium-low and add soy sauce, mirin, ginger, coriander and peppercorns. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes, though this took me a bit longer to reduce it until it was syrupy enough that I thought it would coat, and not just dribble off the meatballs. You can keep it on a back burner, stirring it frequently, while browning the meatballs in the next step. Once it has reduced to your satisfaction, strain through a sieve.
Make meatballs: Mix turkey, scallions, cilantro, egg, sesame oil, soy sauce and several grindings of black pepper in a bowl. I like mixing meatballs with a fork; it seems to work the ingredients into each other well. Roll tablespoon-sized knobs of the mixture into balls. The mixture is pretty soft; I find it easiest to roll — eh, more like toss the meatballs from palm to palm until they’re roundish — meatballs with damp hands.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, generously cover bottom of pan with vegetable oil. Working in batches to avoid crowding, place meatballs in pan and cook, turning, until browned all over and cooked inside, about 8 minutes per batch. Arrange on a platter (a heated one will keep them warm longer), spoon a little sauce over each meatball, and serve with toothpicks. Alternatively, you can serve the glaze on the side, to dip the meatballs.
Do ahead: The sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated until needed. If needed, you can rewarm or keep the meatballs warm in a 200-degree oven until ready to serve. I’m storing mine in the fridge overnight and crossing my fingers they’ll taste fresh tomorrow.
Yum! This sounds like a great appetizer for a NYE Bash. I think I’ll make them :) Happy New Year’s Deb!
Meatballs! Meatballs! My faves. I love the Asian flavors incorporated into these. Thanks.
I really want to make them tomorrow! they will be a hit
Party meatballs are one of my favorite appetizers – the perfect little savory bite (And I’ll fess up to serving leftovers over pasta with sauce.). Happy New 2012 – you know, the Year of the Book. :)
“I have absolutely no time for myself while also spending too much time by myself” I have not read a more true statement in my life!!!!! That pretty much sums up the life as a food blogger.
A neat recipe, I liked the sauce idea. Good for other snacks too as a dip.
I saw a similar recipe to this in Real Simple last year, except it called for ground chicken. What a ridiculously wet mess that was… These look wonderful! And please promise you’ll come to Seattle on your book tour – I’ll drive 300 miles to see you! :-)
I LOVE making mini meatball and can not wait to try this new recipe! Thanks so much for what I’m sure will be another hit. Everyone loved your carrot cake cup cakes that I made on my birthday! I can’t wait to add your cook book to my every expanding collection, and I’m excited to see what you’ll give us to drool over in the coming year! Happy New Years to your wonderful self and family!
But wait, should I have made the puffs today to make my kids love me, or on New Year’s morning? And now, add these to the New Year’s fest since I have all the ingredients or wait? Decisions, decisions!!
Just texted my NYE party hosts and it is unanimous that these will be coming with me! Thanks for so much inspiration and Happy New Year to you and your family.
Deb, thank you for your never-ending *realism*. I appreciate that somewhere out there (New York City I realize), you live a normal life with normal stresses, etc. It is for these reasons (and your great humor and those adorable pictures of Jacob) that you will always be my favorite blogger. I’m super excited for your book next year, and wish you and your family a very happy, blessed new year!! Oh, and these look divine!
These seem to be gluten free if I use the right soy sauce…..Umami
I ALSO just texted my NYE host, and these meatballs are officially making an appearance! Thanks for the (constant) inspiration and happy 2012!
Glaze seems like a great way to give some moistness to a turkey based meatball! These would be awesome stuffed inside some french bread like an asian bahn mi
yum!
Ooooh I second that! You should certainly come to Seattle on your book tour! Although I live in Portland, that’s a perfect little roadtrip! These meatballs look amazing, can’t wait to make them.
Also- just fyi, a fair amount of my xmas gifts this year were packages of 3 of your gift-worthy recipes. They were a huge hit and I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated the ideas!
You had me at meat. And yes to Seattle!
Is parsley the go-to cilantro supplement in things? A, um, friend wants to know.
I’ve always loved a soy-and-ginger sauce, especially with tempeh. Mmm … maybe there’s a vegemeat version of these in my future?? (Sorry to all you diehard meatball fans out there who take that as heresy …) Thanks for the idea and happy 2012!
Happy New Year to you and your lovely family! I love a meatball appetizer so thanks for sharing this one. (Oh and I love following Canal House lunches too!)
I’m a total sucker for delicious little meatballs…nothing pleases me more than when I arrive at a party and someone has a crockpot simmering away with tender meatballs in some sumptuous sauce. This recipe has just upped the ante on meatball declicious-ness! Thanks Deb, and Happy New Year to you and your family :)
Wow. These look awesome. I think my family will love them – we are a meatball loving family, and this has a different little twist with the scallions and meatballs! Love it!
Those look so tasty! Sadly I’m working on New Year’s Eve, but maybe I’ll find another occasion to make them.
Hey Deb,
Are you sure that you aren’t a gourmet chef in disguise? Those look so amazing. I wonder if there is a way to combine it with pasta to make it an italian-asian fusion meal.
Love the sauce on these little meatballs! Wishing you all the best in the New Year!
Thank you so much for the cilantro alternative. The loathing of cilantro is very real.
I’m thinking of having a Chinese New Year housewarming party (just moved earlier this month) … may have to make these…
Thanks for this meatball variation – will try to make soon. I just had the urge to make meatballs myself yesterday. I have found the easiest way to cook them is in a 400 degree oven. Probably small ones like this would be cooked in 10 minutes.
these look amazing and perfect for the new year! i can’t wait to try them. thanks and happy holidays xxo
Here’s to your 2012 quieting down a bit (if that’s what you want!) or at the very least, feeling like you can ahhh…..breathe. Working outside the home, raising a child, blogging, cooking, photography, it all takes time and as moms, we wear so many hats. And you were them well. :)
Happy New Years!
Deb, as lovely as these meatballs sound, I could not continue reading after seeing Jacob’s picture. I have always been the girl who has happily wary of kids, babies, and really anyone under 20. But, this kid! He’s so cute, he makes my overies hurt. With cheeks like that, you’d better keep him away from older ladies who would happily pinch said cheeks forever. I promise I am not stalking your toddler. I live in Oklahoma and if somehow, I meet you, I promise I’ll restrain myself…somehow. :) Congrats on the book, I can’t wait to read it!
I can’t believe this! I just threw a party for my college graduation and was scouring the web for appetizer meatballs. These would have been perfect, they look s delicious! Can’t wait to try them soon.
Wow, these look so tasty! I love how caramelized they look… thanks again for another great recipe!
These look absolutely wonderful; I can’t wait to give them a try.
I used to make turkey burgers with these ingredients – soy, ginger, and cilantro and they were amazing! These must be delicious. Happy New Year, Deb!
OMG YUM!!!
they look a bit like rabbit turds!
This looks absolutely delish. Thank you so much for a year full of wonderful recipes. All the best for 2012.
What a perfect description of motherhood, at least in my apartment. I feel so much better knowing you struggle with getting dinner on the table! As a former chef, I am horrified at the lack of cooperation among my new “brigade”, ages 3 and 1.
Meatballs are the best at parties. As someone who falls very firmly in the cilantro loving party, I will probably up the cilantro. Is it just me or are these begging for a squirt of sriracha? Its probably just me since I put that stuff on everything.
I LOVE your blog. I just discovered it a few months ago somehow, and I read it every day now. I’ve made several of your recipes now, including your baby food recipes (which were a huge hit btw). Now when I need a recipe for something in particular, I come here first. I hit a snag with that practice tho last week, as I couldn’t find a single pot roast recipe!! How can you not have a basic and yummy pot roast recipe?! So I had to look for myself, and the yummiest looking recipe I found was Ina Garten’s Company Pot Roast recipe..I’ll let you know how it goes, as I’m making it tomorrow. Also, just curious, my mom is Jewish and the only Jewish food she’s ever made for us is latkes. She swears up and down (it’s a pretty big pet peeve with her actually) that it’s not an authentic latke when the potatoes are shredded..everything has to be thrown in the blender and made into a purée, then fried. I haven’t seen anything like this in your latke recipes, and just wondered what you thought. Sorry to be so off topic :), but I figured you only kept up with comments on your most recent posts. Hope you have a fantastic New Year’s!!
I think I love you!! was bored with all the chili sauce/jelly meatball recipes I saw online to make for a party tonight. Do you think I could pour the sauce over the meatballs and keep them warm in a slowcooker or is that too much sauce to meat ratio? Also – am moving to NYC next fall and am already completely dismayed at the size of kitchens!
Deb,
Enjoy your recipes, photos and all the instructions that tie things together so creatively…… You are a joy to follow…… Thanks for the past year of FUN and good
eats !!! Looking forward to 2012, your book and all the new exciting things you will
share ….. A very special New Year greeting to you and your precious family !!!!!
I like meatballs a lot!!! Nice recipe! Happy new year!
I would be over the moon to find these at a New Years Eve party…they look great!
And Chinese New Year is actually in January this year :P
oh I love the seasonings in this- what a great appetizer idea!
I’d also like to know how anyone manages to do everything AND look good! These look fantastic. I’ve enjoyed your blog this year (as usual), so in my mind you are doing great!
Ground white meat Turkey, ground dark meat, or a mix? The choice will very much influence the final taste. Which did you use? Thanks
Steve — I used white (it’s what the store was kind enough to be grinding when I got there) but prefer dark meat or at least a mix in general.
t.reams — It might work. I don’t have much practice with keeping things warm in the slow-cooker.
Leslie M. — Actually, someone asked me the same in another comment section a couple months ago, so someone else has the same approach! I hadn’t heard of it but I have a) eaten latkes that tastes like they were made that way, I think at a diner in my neighborhood, and b) am not surprised that there are so many approaches to making a traditional food, all backed by people who insist it’s the only “right” way. It’s like this with foods in every culture! That said, I love the crisp strand-like ones most of all. ;)
Jean — Whoops. I misread this site I’d Googled.
I’m very much looking forward to the next year. Can’t freakin wait for your book to come out! Happy New Year, Deb!
Amazing pictures as usual!
Meatballs without breadcrumbs! Bravo, and thanks for sharing!
Sounds perfect! Hope to find the time to try. These days i seem to only have time to cook what I blog about. Happy 2012.
Jittery Cook
Want to try these, but will experiment with cooking meatballs in oven on a tray instead of frying. What do you think? Have done it successfully with ground turkey for Italian wedding soup before, so I think it might work!
Happy New Year Deb! I understand the balance predicament and wonder at the act of it myself sometimes, then I take a walk around a beautiful lake that I call my own and I’m back on the teeter totter enjoying the ups and downs of it all. Thanks for all of your great posts this year…looking forward to new deliciousness from you.
Deb, Just a quick note to say happy holidays and best wishes for a happy new year! Yours is my favorite food blog of all, your recipes are no-fail (so I never need to worry about making these for a dinner party without a trial) and my entire family is looking forward to your book!! AND – my husband and I are moving to NYC in Feb! We can’t wait to try your list of recommended places to eat there (not to mention attending a book signing!). Wishing you all the very best!
I am thinking of making these for breakfast. But I will probably make it for lunch actually before my 20-something kids head out for New Year activities (yes, there is life after toddler-hood and every year is more amazing than the previous one). Wishing you a grand 2012 and balance and joy.
Looks yummy – not unlike what you’d make to fill wontons. Or what I would make, anyway. Happy new year!
Oh these will be made today! What a tasty and simple way to ring in the new year!
Happy New Year Deb! Taking a step back and realizing that life is really good amongst all the chaos is of the everyday is important. Being grateful for all that we have is something we should do every day. No one is perfect, but we do the best we can and at the end of the day what mutterers most is that we’re with the ones we love doing what we love. I love your blog, your recipes and your spirit. You’re following your bliss and it shows in your blog. Happy New Year!!!
Jackie
These sound absolutely delicious. Happy new year, and cheers to a great 2013 for all!
These look so good. I’d love to make some to keep in the freezer, handy for a quick snack. Do you think the meatballs would freeze better before or after browning? BTW, I have been following your blog for about a year now, and absolutely love it? Thanks for sharing your recipes, stories and pictures!
These look phenomenal! Meatballs are one of my favorite things ever. Unfortunately, I can’t cook with any alcohol. Any suggestions for mirin/sake substitutions? Or is it to vital a part of the recipe?
Thanks and Happy New Year!
These look and sound delicious. Sure would be a great thing to have in the freezer for just-in-case or football snacks or whatever. I love to keep a stash of “emergency food” in my freezer for times when I need something easy to put on the table. Thanks, Deb! Can’t wait for the book.
I am definitely making these, of course, minus the nasty cilantro.
It is nice to stop and remember blessings…whether they be meatballs, toddlers of the business of the life we wanted. A good reminder. Happy new year.
Debb, I just wanted to take a moment at the close of the year to say thank you for all your recipes, for your beautiful photographs, and great stories. Its wonderful to have a place I can go where I know I can try a new recipe confident that its going to come out well enough to share with out having to do a trial run first. You’ve saved many a late party invite and gotten me tons of complements. THANK YOU!
Happy New Year, Wonderful Deb! You have inspired me, saved me on what-to-cook nights, made me look like I know what I’m doing in the kitchen, and never let me down. In fact, I second everything Jenn (#67) just said. Thank you! You deserve all the great things that are bound to happen to you this year.
Happy New Year! Hope you can make it to CA for a quick book tour. Would love to make a road trip to come and see you….we are smack dab in the middle of Ca on the coast. So either SF or LA, here I come!! Quick Q: when you say you used “half of the ginger” did you mean half of a cup? Or 1/8 of a cup? Sorry I’m so literal!
Angela — Good question. They called for 1/4 cup chopped ginger. Of course, whether you mince or just coarsely chop the ginger could greatly affect the ginger-punch outcome. I tend to chop ginger pretty finely (the way you would in most Asian recipes) and felt that 2 tablespoons was plenty of ginger. Of course, I’m a little ginger shy and if you’re ginger gaga, you might not mind 1/4 cup. God, that was a long answer, huh?
Book tour — We’ll talk about this soon, I promise. Knopf will want to hear where you want me to go and we’ll figure it out from there. I’d love love love to go everywhere, and so would Alex and Jacob, where possible. You have no idea. My mother is in fact making sure she is retired in time to join me on the book tour, that’s how stoked we are about it. But, nothing’s worse than showing up to a mostly empty room, so we’ll probably start with the places that got the most votes and can always add cities where needed.
Yummmm…I’m really in the mood for food like this after all the turkey/cranberry/butternut squash mayhem of the last month. Thanks for posting!
Wishing the Smitten Kitchen a bliss-tastic new year! Can’t wait for the cookbook!
I started reading this blog because of your delicious recipes and fun writing style, but one of the things I appreciate most about it is how real you are. Hearing I’m not the only one who struggles with time for myself, getting dinner on the table, etc. along with working and taking care of a toddler (and preschooler) is refreshing! Have a happy new year!
I just made these in advance for tonight’s gathering…The only change I’d make would be to double the amount! Also, I probably needed to dry the cilantro and onion really well because it was rather hard to form balls without the mixture turning into patties! Oh well, I will call them “bites” tonight! Oh, and of course the hubs and I quality-controlled these, and I don’t know if I can keep my hands off the rest before tonight! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!!
Thank you Deb for all you have provided in 2011, great recipes, photos and a wonderful blog to read. Wishing you and yours all the best in 2012!
your sweet words made me teary…i feel the same way about my own family (husband, 2yo, 1mo). seriously, though, who needs to be cute when one is so happy!? this recipe rocks in the toddler department. i think they could be easily renamed, “turkey toddler treats”. how my foodie husband and i ended up with such a picky child eludes us, but when i started including her to ‘help’ make things like egg fritters, her eating choices improved dramatically. your latkes are another recipe i want to incorporate into her newly found hobby of toddler-cooking. this is on our list for the week. happy New Year!
Tiny meatballs always do go fast, don’t they? The flavors in these are perfect for a single, intense bite that begs the fingers to reach for another.
loved what you wrote here – could relate to so much of it. thank you, and hope your 2012 is better than hoped.
Thank you for this recipe. I used the glaze as a dip (also using the lesser amount of ginger) but I changed the meatballs. Your recipe reminded me how much I missed my potstickers and that just by adding an egg to my filling I could just make meatballs and skip the messy dumpling folding (which I’m horrible at). The filling is basically the same but uses ground pork, lots of fresh finely minced ginger, and no cilantro. The combination of your glaze and the potsticker meatballs is fantastic ! Thank you and Happy New Year.
Deb, I live in NY and no one here doubts that I will have to fight for standing room at your one of your appearances here, but something tells me that wherever you go, and I mean some long neglected corner of the map, you will have full houses. Whenever I recommend your site–to friends, random people on facebook, people across the globe–the response is always (always!), “Oh, of course, I love Deb! Isn’t SmittenKitchen the best?” I swear.
You make me want to not be a vegetarian any more LOL!
Oh, and I think you should wear this year’s earrings and take this jet :)
I just made them and they are wonderful! I didn’t have any mirin or sake; I may have sinned by replacing it with some really good red wine but the sauce is still extremely delicious.
No breadcrumbs? You didn’t find the mixture too loose?
Hmmmmmm…. “Russian Tea Cakes”. Check old Betty Crocker cookbooks, don’t grind nuts but only chop exceeding fine,make then TINY (one bite), roll in XXX sugar *immediately* out of oven, and then again when cool. Heaven!
Why aren’t these called Turkey Balls? How hilarious would that be at a party?
You can tell I’m the food fan at the party because I’ll be the one toasting with my proud meatball on a celebratory blue toothpick as everyone else raises their champaign flutes. This is my idea of wine on New Year’s: in my meatball sauce. Happy New Year to all and to all a rockin night!…er…yeah, maybe one too many licks of the wine sauce…
Just got a suggestion from the peanut gallery. They could be called Fowl Balls.
Made these tonight for NYE snacking/dinner and they are delicious! My 10 yr old son rolled his eyes in pleasure as he ate them, and said the sauce was the best part. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks, and happy new year!
This sounds really good, will try them soon (don’t have to take them to a party to share, do I? we can have them all at home for dinner, no???). Just wanted to let you know I really love your blog! I just discovered it a few weeks ago, have made the butternut-chickpea-tahini-salad five times since then (actually brought it to a NYE party yesterday … it’s 2012 already here in Germany) and really enjoy reading your pragmatic, funny recipe introductions. So have a happy new year – I am looking forward to reading more from you and getting myself some inspiration for the kitchen :-)
Yum!! I love meatballs with sweet glaze and adding greens inside keeps them so moist.
Please, please come to Texas on your book tour!!! I live in Austin (a great food city!) but I’ll drive anywhere in Texas to get you to sign my book.
I made these last night using a mixture of 2 parts bison 1 part pork instead of turkey. They were amazing! Thanks or another great recipe.
I tried these for New Year’s Eve, and they were excellent!
Deb,
Quick question….for the do-ahead part you said, “I’m storing mine in the fridge overnight and crossing my fingers they’ll taste fresh tomorrow.” Did you store them cooked or uncooked? And how did it turn out?
Please bring your book tour to Richmond, VA! We would love to have you here and we’ll treat you to great southern hospitality :-)
I hear your pain on the book… I am just in the proofreading stage of my book (not about cooking:-) it is a science book). And I will be so happy to be done. Exhausted but done.
What a lovely recipe. My girl is gluten free and she will absolutely love this. Thank you for your truly wonderful recipes. Let us know if you cross the pond and come to the UK on your book tour. We’ll definately be there.
What a great recipe! Your photos are gorgeous as always. I forget about meatballs all too often, you’re absolutely right about them, and I need to remember to make them more often.
Oh, I just LOVE meatballs, and I’m always looking for a new twist. These look fantastic! Can you suggest an alternative to the ginger? I’m allergic.
Happy New Year!
These look delicious, but I wonder if using Hoison sauce instead of soy might make the sauce a little more clingy and less salty.
Susan — Could be delicious, and faster.
Bonoca — I cooked them and stored them in the fridge. They reheated well and disappeared quickly at the party (as did the bottle of bourbon we brought, if I’m being honest, also, ow). I would love to come to Richmond! I hope it can happen.
Even in Australia — Actually, I find that breadcrumbs contribute to softer meatballs, however, there’s so much greenery and scallions in these that I didn’t miss the breadcrumbs as much as I thought I would. That said, I don’t think a tablespoon of two would do the meatballs any harm.
Delphi — Ha! Maybe next year. :)
Bella — Thank you.
Happy New Year SmittenKitchen. Your meatballs look divine and definitely up my street. All the best. Torie
I’m a sucker for mini meatballs of any kind. As a part-time caterer, I can attest to your comment about little bites with sustenance being popular at parties. Meatballs are always big winners. I only wish I had seen this post yesterday while I was planning snacks for our NYE.
As always – your photography has me wanting to reach for one of those frilly toothpicks…it’s dinner time, right? Happy New Year to you + your family!
These were a huge hit at our NYE celebration!!!! I should have doubled the recipe- they were gone in minutes!!!
Those meatballs look brilliant. Great photography to boot.
Out of curiosity, have you tried this recipe with other types of meat? I’m personally more of a lamb person. Also, you might wish to try rolling your meatballs using an ice-cream scoop. It kind of takes the fun out of getting your hands dirty but you’ll get a batch of even sized meatballs.
Keep up what you’re doing! :)
I agree with that there are usually too many chips/sweets at parties and not enough real food, so I love that these meatballs are both real and also totally fun and celebratory. Cheers to a wonderful 2012!
I think I need to plan a party… Also, for getting dinner on the table, I’ve found the slow cooker is my friend. I had to search for healthy recipes, particularly as we don’t eatI noodles, but as I build up a collection it is working well for me.
The meatballs are both modern and retro – great idea. When buying conditioner, always go for the very best then your hair is your bling.
I’m really excited about this! I can switch out the turkey for ground round!
As always Deb, this one is a winner! There is just something crowd-pleasing about mini-meatballs…
Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Did you have a favorite cookbook of 2011?
Adam — So difficult! I couldn’t choose but I can tell you that The Homesick Texan Cookbook and Ottolenghi’s Plenty would definitely be in the top 2. For approachable home cooking and great essays, you shouldn’t miss Melissa Clark’s Cook This Now.
Charlotte — It’s not even funny how badly I hope there’s an excuse to come to Vancouver.
These were amazing but I did make a few modifications that may help others. I left out the brown sugar (I’m a no sugar-gal) and mirin (don’t have) in the sauce. I substituted 1/2 cup apple juice concentrate instead. Also,be sure and use low-sodium soy sauce. It’s so concentrated after boiling down that it’s a necessity. We LOVED the sauce. Also instead of frying the meatballs, just broil them 3 minutes on each side (after spraying your broiler pan with Pam). Helps with the calories and tastes even better. I needed 1/2 cup bread crumbs to hold them together too.
Deb – your kid gets cuter and cuter! And these meatballs look divine. I need to find something I can bring them to – oh year – I could serve them to the adults and our boy’s birthday party coming up. Congrats on your crazy 2011 and good luck in 2012. Any chance you’ll be coming to Vancouver, Canada?
Looks delicious!!
Thanks for another great recipe. These look so divine!
these look delicious – i planned on making meatballs for dinner sometime this week, i’ll definitely be trying this recipe. I also love the presentation with the toothpicks – makes a great yet filling party/ gathering snack
OMG…I can feel it from here that how taste it was.
As I like both individually i.e. Ginger and meatball but never tried it together.
Thanks a lot for this.
Congratulations on your recognition as the Best Cooking Blog on saveur.com! I look at your win and in my head I go, Woohoo! I read that blog every week! I even get emails!
What can I use in place of sake or rice wine? Both our out of my preschool teacher budget. Thanks
I would bet you could use any sherry, applejack brandy, or even apple cider or apple juice for a similar effect.
These little meatballs are so adorable! Can’t wait to try them.
Why, oh why is it only 10:34 am? My stomach has decided that we need some right now…
Helloo. I just made these for dinner and they got major nods of approval! Do you think these could be baked instead of pan fried?
And I too love your blog, your voice, your photos, and of course your recipes. Can’t wait for the book!
I think I might have to pick up some ground turkey when I go to the butcher this week. I wonder if my kids (and husband) would eat these.
also, I think you should come to st. petersburg, florida when you do your book tour. you should come in the winter. not in the summer.
Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing all these amazing recipes, I enjoy reading your blog and looking forward to reading much more this year. Will your book be available for online ordering?
Happy 2012!
I made these NYE and they were amazing. I will make them again and again (and may leave off the sauce sometime for a healthier weeknight meal). A note on breadcrumbs: I found the mixture far too wet, so I did add about 2 or 3 tbsp of store-bought breadcrumbs (as well as turkey breast meat). They turned out gorgeously tender. A real keeper! Thanks!
sorry–to clarify: i added 2-3 tbsp breadcrumbs, and used all turkey breast meat. also added a few shakes of red pepper flakes to the sauce. superb!
Those look great! I’m definitely going to try making these.
Yummy, I love your food pics :)
Any ideas for incorporating these into a full meal? What would go well with them (other than everything)?
Alex — I’ll have a soup for you tomorrow that would go perfectly. :)
amy — Can I come this winter? Like, tomorrow when it’s supposed to be 30 degrees?
As always, these look delicious and I can’t wait to try them! And my vote is to come to Utah on your book tour! :)
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit. I used shallots instead of scallions and served the meatballs over pasta. We will be having this again in the near future!
This sauce is incredible. It will be marrying some chicken wings in the future ….
Isn’t funny how you have a baby and after the first crazy days/weeks you think, “hey, I can totally do this! It isn’t that hard to coordinate previous life and new baby” and then the baby becomes a toddler and suddenly you have control over nothing? No time ever for anything? As good as it is, the word to define your state of self is frazzled. Wishing you a happy new year, while I start planning to make these real soon.
I made this for dinner last night, accompanied by fried rice, and it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe–100% of the recipes I’ve tried from you have landed somewhere between “tasty” and “delicious”.
these look like heaven!
x kat
Vancouver is cool and all – but puh-leese consider Ontario, too!!
We would love to see you!!
(These look awesome.)
These were great last night “banh mi” style on a roll topped with shredded carrots. I also added a little Sriracha to the sauce, which was nice to offset the sweetness a little. Thanks for the recipe!
For your book tour – BOSTON, please! So close… :)
Sally — I think I’ll show up in Boston whether I’m invited or not. :)
Eubbie — I was obviously taking the wrong class!
FYI–most soy sauces are NOT gluten-free (have wheat as an ingredient). This is tagged gluten-free so I wanted to point it out: make sure you buy gluten free soy sauce if you’re making this for someone with gluten intolerance.
Look for tamari, which is a wheat-free soy sauce. You may also find some soy sauces that are identified as wheat free or gluten free on the label.
The timing of this recipe could not be better. I made teriyaki chicken skewers and potstickers for our N.Y.E. party and have lots of left over ginger, scallions, and cilantro. This will be the perfect way to use them up. And, I love AmyK’s idea of turning them into a banh mi!
I have all the ingredients, but the 1 teaspoon ground coriander.
Can I leave it out ? will it taste very diffrent ? what can I substitute for it ? (I’m living outside the country at the moment).
Thanks
Marna — Leave it out. It’s just one flavor of many.
I made these for New Year’s Eve and they were a huge hit! Thanks so much! Also made your chocolate raspberry cake for my daughter’s 17th birthday which falls on December 24th – another big hit. I am so thrilled to have found your site – thank you so much!
just got home to realize that I’ve got ground beef, not ground turkey. Do you think that will work as a substitute? (and I love, love, love you site — it is my favorite procrastination/inspiration destination!)
I am NOT a ground turkey fan, but something about this recipe sucked me in. I made them last night and served them over broad egg noddles, and the meatballs were REALLY delicious. Thanks!
Can I made the meatballs ahead of time anf freeze them ?
Thanks for the recipe :) looking forward to making them this week! Also noticed the recipe mentioned in a “meatball slideshow” in the New York Times this morning: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/01/04/dining/20120104-meatball-recipes-5.html
What a crazy coincidence!
Also, just wanted to say how much I enjoy reading your recipe posts on Smitten Kitchen — helped me many a time in my small city kitchen :)
made these tonight. excellent-very moist. can’t believe you have 150 comments!
I just made these and they were delicious. Did not have mirin so I used some Harveys Bristol Cream sherry (hey whatayagonnado?) The sauce was not thickening so I added some more brown sugar. I served over Japanese noodles for a dinner entree. Raves!
Deb – thanks so much for this post! I made the meatballs and brought to a New Year’s Eve party. They were a HUGE hit and disappeared in minutes! FYI, I doubled the meatball part of the recipe and didn’t double the glaze part — there was enough glaze. I love that this recipe covers many bases — the meatatarians, the “I only eat poultry”, those who for religious reasons don’t eat pork, adults, kids… so everyone pretty much.
The hubby loved them, went great with mashed potatoes and salad! I used 2 tbsp japanese soy sause for the meatball mixture, over 650gr turkey, and still found them a bit too salty.
This looks like a fabulous recipe!I am definitely going to try them.
Thanks for sharing this.
Yum! These really are perfect for a party; I too feel that substantial food is always best for parties.
Those meatballs look amazing, I love anything with an Asian style glaze!!! I will be trying these very soon. I do have my Birthday coming up on the 14th, I think I will treat myself to a few handful of these little guys!
Made these last night – they were awesome! I baked them instead of pan-frying, which resulted in something closer to meatlumps than meatballs, but the hands-off aspect of throwing them in the oven made it worth it. I got 24 lumps from my batch, so they were probably a little bigger than yours, and they took about 15 minutes at 375 in case anyone else wants to try! I would recommend putting them on a rack though — I put mine straight onto a baking sheet and they kind of leaked fat puddles (sounds worse than it was).
Also, I accidentally over-reduced the sauce and had to add some water back in, but it was SO good. I put the meatballs and most of the glaze into a large bowl and gently stirred until they were all coated. Seriously, so good. Thanks for the idea!
These look great-Love the Asian twist!
Deb, where did you get your glass mixing bowls? I’ve been looking for ones with high walls like that forever and can’t find them anywhere. The ones I currently have are round with shorter walls, which I often find means I have to use a slightly bigger bowl than I otherwise might, and it can make mixing batters and the like messy and inefficient as the ingredients tend to move outward, so I’m always stopping to scrape the sides. Thanks!
Hey… Best. Blog. Ever. I’ve made many recipes from this site and they’ve all turned out wonderfully. I made the meatballs on New Year’s Day and they were super soggy– so soggy that they were difficult to keep in a cohesive mass when cooking, and this was after adding 2tbsp of bread crumbs. I followed the recipe to a T– and once they were cooked, they tasted great– just a little odd and burnt looking, nowhere near as cute as the picture. As mentioned, I followed the recipe (except for the breadcrumbs)– the only (other?) difference is that I used a stainless steel bottom pan, not a cast-iron (Amazon is being very pokey about delivering mine). Suggestions? I’d love to make them again for the carrot soup– but I’d also like them to look like meatballs, not dark brown “things” of dubious origin. Thanks!!
Love the recipe! I made some meatballs lately, but in a totally different way.
Love this recipe. Made it 2 days in a row, and I am already craving it again today. Huge success with my husband as well. Thank you!
Such a lovely photo and they do look superb. Like you, I prefer substantial party food and actually served meatballs with a feta dip at my last party. :)
Yum!!! I wonder how this would work if you left the sauce kinda thin & served it over Soba noodles? I just may have to find out. Tonight.
I made these last night because the picture you posted required me to do so..and I have to say they were every bit of delicious as the picture looked. I served it as a meal over some brown rice next to a side salad. My family was amazed and I felt quite accomplished! Thanks for making me feel and think that I’m a 5 star chef! Every single recipe I have tried from this blog never disappoints!Can’t wait for the book :)
I made your baked chicken meatballs for our NYE party, but used turkey because our local grocer doesn’t carry ground chicken anymore. He actually looked a little sad about it when I asked him… The meatballs were a huge hit – even pitted against the long-standing favorite! I am psyched to see “another” turkey meatball recipe to try out.
Happy New Year!
When I showed these to the hubby he said, “those look good”. Making them tonight! I’m excited.
I made these a few days ago for a party. They were just the perfect thing to bring. I made two batches, one which I cooked a day before and one which I left the meat mixture sitting in the fridge over night. I liked the flavours better when the meat sat uncooked over night. It was a richer flavour from the green onion but not over powering. I also found that they held up a bit better when I cooked them. I would recommend if you have the time to let the meat sit for a while before cooking just to mix all the yummy onion goodness. I have to say Deb, When ever I need ideas you are always the one I turn to. I also made your french onion soup not that long ago, it was to die for! thanks for being so amazing!
Love this site. As an expatriate currently residing in Oslo, this recipe among many of yours reminds me of how much I miss the art of cooking. These look simply delectable and I’m sure I will be able to make them here(major points for that, as it’s often difficult to find basic ingredients. For example, vanilla extract does not exist, which bothers me on several levels.) thanks again, and I am duly envious of all those who get to buy your book AND get it personally autographed!
I was very keen to try this recipe, but minced pork was much easier to find than minced turkey (we’re expats in Hong Kong), so we had pork scallion ginger meatballs instead. I used the food processor to chop the spring onions etc, then put everything else in and pulsed a few times to combine. Worked beautifully! The meatballs were moist and delicious, and didn’t need the glaze – it was a tad overpowering for the pork, not sure what I did wrong there. This recipe is on the keeper list! Thank you for sharing it.
is there a substitute for the mirin/sake?
I made these the other day, and my husband raved about them! The sauce made more than we needed just to drizzle over them, so I’ve saved it in the fridge to use on other things. (A teaspoon in chicken soup the other day gave it a nice kick!)
I made these tonight, following the recipe with no changes, and they were a hit. I used dark meat turkey and 6 scallions. The proportions were spot on, and I did use almost the full amount of ginger (which I microplaned) called for in the original recipe. I plan to make them again, but next time I will double the recipe. The sauce was especially yummy, and we didn’t have any left over; that could be b/c it thickened pretty nicely in about 35 minutes, but most likely b/c we loved it. Do make the full amount.
I was making these when the cable guy showed up so him and my husband got to be my taste testers. I added 1 tsp crushed red pepper to the meatball mixture. I loved the heat next to the sweet sauce.
Yum! Made these for dinner tonight with udon noodles and a salad. Even with bread crumbs added, these were still a bit too crumbly for party presentation – I admire your orb-like meatballs! How did you keep them from sticking? I used a goodly portion of vegetable oil in a stainless pan and had some sticking issues. The sauce is awesome, and I’m happy to have some left to put on veggies tomorrow.
Paula and anyone else who had sticking issues — The trick to browning soft meatballs or pretty much anything that can fall apart is to fully heat the pan, add the oil, fully heat the oil until a flick of water makes a loud hiss, add the meatballs and don’t move them until they are “ready” to be moved, i.e. a brown edge has formed between them and the pan and they can be moved with a spatula slid underneath without scraping them from the bottom. It’s tricky at first, it will save this and every other meatball/latke/skin-down chicken dish going forward. Promise. It saved mine!
I am looking SO forward to your book! Des Moines would LOVE to have you!!
I made these for a potlock last night and they were a HUGE hit. I also substituted the cilantro for parsley as I cannot stand the taste of cilantro. Used a food processor to make the parsley nice and small. Also added a tiny bit of panko in the meatballs, but I dont think it was necessary. I think next time, Ill add a bit of red pepper flake to the sauce for a bit of spice!
While you said: “We are definitely not going to discuss how many hours I have spent this year wondering how anyone ever gets dinner on the table/keeps an apartment clean/gets any sleep/takes vacations… all while looking cute.” I propose starting a club of mothers of toddlers dedicated to discussing just this. Club meeting locations rotate club member’s apartments, and discussion happens hands on: group cleaning, cooking and toddler wrangling – all while NOT looking cute. Post meeting – 8 hours of sleep and a vacation, except for that one unlucky member who was voted “cutest looking” and will be watching the kids.
Jess — Ha! I’m in. (I like to believe that we might look cuter than we feel explaining to a 2 year-old for the n’th time that the toilet is not for washing hands. I am able to maintain this belief by avoiding mirrors.)
That looks amazing, now I feel soooo hungry! will definitely try to cook this tomorow mmm thanks :)
I kind of want to make these and put them in the carrot soup.
I ripped this recipe off for turkey burgers last night…popped a tablespoon of white miso into the burger mix as well. Deeeelicious. Super excited to put the rest of that miso to use in your carrot soup!
These turned out so delicious!!!
My neighbor and dear friend made these for New Year’s to go with our Chardonnay tasting – these were DELICIOUS!!! Looking forward to making these for a week night dinner. And thank you for all your recipes you put on here – the photos are always a delight and you always give me a new way to impress the husband :)
Any chance you could comment on the idea (others have mentioned) about baking these? Would it be a tremendous loss?
dee and others that asked about baking — I haven’t tried them baked but if you have had success baking other meatballs, I am sure it would work here.
Now that you are a baked meatball convert (your baked meatball recipe is tremendously good), do you think we could follow those baking instructions for these? If anyone else has done that, let us know how it worked. Sorry if this is a dumb question. Thanks!
I decided to add breadcrumbs to my meatball mix to give it a firmer texture. It really helped make them easier to handle.
fabulous job, deb! i steamed some jasmine rice to go with the meatballs and sauteed some fresh carrots for a regular old tuesday night meal. so delicious!
Deb, made these as per yr recommendation with the carrot soup- big hit with the family! I subbed gr. beef for the turkey and I must report deliciousness! Also had no more green onions, subbed some minced leeks (giant green onions, no?) also threw in a minced jalapeño as it was in the veg drawer and asked to be sacrificed for the greater good. Otherwise followed recipe to a T. All good!
I’ve made these twice — in TWO NIGHTS! My family of 3 KILLED the entire batch (I’d hoped for leftovers) the first night and wanted to try them with brown rice as an accompaniment to help soak up the yummy sauce on night #2. We killed batch #2 as well. These are a SUPER-soft meatball and they do kind of slump a bit in the pan but Deb’s right: heat the skillet, heat the oil and DON’T move them until they’re ready to be moved. I ended up cooking them on three sides and having semi-triangular ball-like things, but nobody minded (they were, in fact, happy for an additional side of caramelized, crispy deliciousness). Next time I’ll try broiling them because they can be a bit time-consuming as a dinner item… Thanks, Deb!
Oh my goodness! I bookmarked this as soon as you posted it, ready for our japanese January. It’s my husband and my form of detox asit’s so naturally healthy, and WAY easier and more enjoyable to stick with than no-sugar, no-fat, no-meat, blah blah. I used minced pork, as we’re a bit poultry-d out at the mo, used almost the full amount of ginger (which I grated and didn’t strain out), left out theground cori and added 2handfuls of panko, as I found it way too wet. The mix made 30 and i sheet-froze half, and saved half the sauce in a jar in the fridge for next week. The flavour was really wonderful, the sauce was RIDICULOUSLY good! I made it in the morning when the baby was napping and had to stop myself from drinking it like juice! Served with steamed rice and stir-fried greens, I will make it again and again and again! Thank you so much for posting!
Happy new year!
Hey Deb,
first time writing here but I’ve been reading you and loving your recipes, style, pictures for long – can’t wait for your book to be available..!
Just a quick message to thank you for these scrumptious meatballs of heaven : I’ve made some tonight and loved them so much I had to post about it on my blog…
They are great !!! We had them with the carrot-sesame-miso soup and it was delicious, really.
I truly wish you a happy happy new year and hope to read your cookbook soon !
Best,
Tania aka Catering Deneuve
http://catering-deneuve.tumblr.com/post/15736265188/scallionsmeatballs
First time commenting, long time reader. This is the first recipe I’ve made from your blog and it was AMAZING! The sauce was so good. I let it reduce a full hour and it was syrupy and salty and everything you’d want out of asian style sauce.
One question – I ended up adding some breadcrumbs to my meatballs because they were almost too wet to “roll”. Were they supposed to be that wet or did I miss measure?
I can’t wait for your cookbook; congratulations!
Katie — They’re supposed to be wet. I find that wetter meatballs have more tender results. The trick is to use wet hands and not worry if they don’t get perfectly round.
Made these for Bunco club last night and left with an empty dish! My husband wants to steam them in wonton wraps this weekend. So we’ll see how that goes. And that sauce? I seriously wanted to poor myself a glass and drink it, it was that good. I used a generous half cup of ginger, let it simmer for about an hour. Then saved the ginger to nibble on…. mmmmmmm……
Greetings from Munich, Germany! I think your recipes are awesome :)
Ohh! I expect these will be a big hit at our Superbowl party.. for now, a half-recipe is becoming a glazed meatloaf for me and the Hubs! Thanks!!
I was looking for some Asian inspired meatball recipe for ages. I think that this is the recipe that I am trying to look for. Thanks for the information!
Can not wait to try this new recipe! Thanks
made these today and they were a huge hit! i’m home from college on break and you’ve totally inspired me to cook! :)
I made this into meatloaf and it was delish. I just poured the sauce over the top before baking like you would a ketchup sauce on old school meatloaf.
These were phenomenal. We made them for a Playoff Party we hosted last night. I had a hard time getting them to stay together though….
I made these for a party this weekend and though I feared they would be dry, my guests assured me they were not. They went so quickly, I didn’t even get to try one of them! Best dish of the night. THANKS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Deb! So excited for your cookbook. Just checked amazon and it indicates a publish date of Oct 30, 2012! Hurrah!
These looks amazing. And I love that they are gluten free (with the right soy sauce). I can’t wait to make these myself. I have a baby shower that I’m hosting soon, maybe I will make these and serve them there. YUMMY!!
Made these last night for the family. My son is headed back to Temple University and wanted to make something delish before he has to suffer through three months of his own cooking. Seriously wonderful! Made a double batch of the glaze for future meals, really amazing flavor could go with nearly anything! Thanks!
Tried these tiny balls last week on my family – they loved it. Everything vanished in no time flat. Thanks!
I love that you use ground turkey for these meatballs! I would love to know what kind of turkey you used…lately I have been hooked on Diestel turkey – they make an organic ground turkey and an italian ground turkey sausage (along with a ton of other turkey products). Everything I make with their meat always turns out great! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
the egg in the clear glass bowl photo is LOVELY.
Unfortunately these didn’t turn out as good as I’d hoped. The meatball flavor was a bit too one dimensional, and the sauce was a bit too sweet. I do like the idea, though, so if I were to try it again I think I’d use a recipe for pot sticker filling that includes a few more extras like shitake mushrooms and water chestnuts.
I have made these twice and love them! I could drink the sauce! I just made the sauce again and used it in the last minutes over a salmon fillet in the oven. What a perfect combination! Thanks Deb!
Hi There,
I really love your website.
However, I am gluten free and wanted to let you know that Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free.
It has wheat in it unless you get bragg’s or wheat free tamari.
Please be careful which recipes you label GF, especcially so your book is more successful for us nutty GF gastronomes! :)
Carey — There is a very clear note at the top of the recipe warning that this recipe is only gluten-free if you find gluten-free soy sauce. I saw several at the store.
i made these last night, and i really liked them! i used regular ground turkey (as opposed to low fat), and I think it made them a little more “wet”. I would like to try again with pork or a pork/turkey combo. really yummy and the sauce was delish! :)
@Ltrain – do try it again with the pork. I made these (again) last night w/ 7% fat turkey, and mixed in 4 or 5 (uncooked) breakfast pork sausage patties I had kicking around the fridge. Unqualified yum.
Ooh, these look so good, I’m sure there’s a way to make them vegetarian. Thank you for offering a cilantro alternative, I’m one of those people who think it tastes like soap.
Deb, wonderful sauce- i let it reduce as we nibbled on some pâté and other amuse-bouche- it was spectacular however, the meatballs were dry. They were not overcooked- but boy were they dry. I frequently prepare the meatballs in the Ottolenghi cookbook and after an over cooking disaster a few months ago, I’m very careful. These, for example, were cooked 6 min the first batch and only 5 min the second as the oil temperature had increased. Any ideas? I’m an x-newyorker now london based but just used regular turkey mince (Waitrose brand- our version of food emporium.) Not particularly lean and followed all the prescribed amounts on the remaining ingredients. Any ideas to moisten them up? I have not read all the other comments but from a quick browse, it doesn’t look like other people are having this problem…without adding pork, what should i do?
Katherine — I actually found the meatballs drier than ones that use my favorite formula for meatballs, so it’s not just you. However, they were so tiny and flavorful, especially with the intense glaze, that I decided for the sake of ease I’d leave the recipe as-is. However, if you, like me, go berserk over an almost meltingly tender meatball, I’d suggest adding about 1/2 cup freshly ground breadcrumbs (i.e. from white bread or whatever you have around, run through a food processor) and 1/3 cup lukewarm water to the meatball mixture. The resulting meatballs will be even softer, and thus more of a pain to shape and brown in a pan, but almost always result in soft and never dry meatballs. Hope that helps.
Made for a ‘new baby – new house’ open house we hosted today for friends and family and they disappeared so quickly I didn’t get a chance to see how they tasted reheated from when I made them yesterday. I’m glad I tested them yesterday! I made with the gluten-free soy sauce and my two friends with celiac were pretty happy! Now I just have to make them again just for us, because only eating 1 1/2 of these was so not enough. Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh, forgot to add that I used the 7% fat ground turkey too (instead of the ground turkey breast) and I thought the meatballs were a nice texture, not dry. (maybe not ‘meltingly moist’ but really good!) I bet it would make a difference if you use the 7% fat versus the 1% (or is it 3% fat?) that the breast-meat only ground turkey is.
Delicious- so tender and juicy, and very flavorful! I too found the mixture to be a tab too mushy and added 4-5 tbs of breadcrumbs, but they didn’t dry out at all. Also, since I wanted these as a meal rather than an appetizer, I boiled soba noodles and tossed them with a bit of the sauce, then placed the meatballs on top with the extra sauce drizzled on top. YUM!
I just made these last night, or a version of it and the flavors were amazing! I used pork instead of turkey and left out the egg because I was thinking of using it for a wonton filling and it worked. I also added raw chile pepper for a spicy kick and it was so incredibly delicious. Before making the dumplings I tested a couple and fried the meatballs and they held up nicely. Great snack, I’m definitely making these again for the super bowl, and next time I’ll use turkey! thanks so for sharing this!
Hi Deb,
I made these last night for dinner (my 8 year old helped me roll and thought it was a blast!!) with side of rice and some steamed broccoli……even my very picky 6 year old ate them…..I have three kids….the older two are amazingly adventurous eaters and the six year old……not so much. I thought there wouldbe leftovers for tonight and not even one meatball was left!!! Thanks so much for such a delicious recipe…..I am going to try baking them next time just to see what the difference is since it means less work and no extra oil……I will report back;-) Thanks so much!!!!
Could these be made with beef? I know not as healthy,but we only like turkey at Thanksgiving. Thanks
Yesterday, I made a few hundred of these for my son’s Robotics team. My son brought home an empty tray. Success! (btw, another vote for Seattle)
Yum! I look forward to making these at my earliest convenience!
Will have to sub chicken for the turkey as the latter is not available here, and yes parsley instead of cilantro (though that’s easily available, I just don’t like it), but I just bought some mirin this holiday on my visit to the States so I’m excited that I can follow this recipe pretty closely. Looks delish!
(Thanks for the note on making them softer/moister above too, that’s good to know)
Hello Deb ~
Made these last night and they were delicious. Found the meat mix too moist to form into balls, so I put the mix in the freezer for a bit. Worked like a charm. Also just plopped the meatballs into the sauce after they were cooked and drained on paper towels. Again, delicious – thank you.
just wondering would these meatballs taste as great if i used another meat? lamb, chicken, or pork? as turkey isnt as readily available here except for the whole ones. but id love to try these out :)
mari — Use any meat that you prefer.
Well, I made them with chicken that I chopped up, and my fussy husband who at first didn’t want anything to do with them, LOVED THEM! Those little meatballs were great! Thanks so very much!
I made this last month right after you posted it. I am going to make it again tonight as hubby keeps saying: “When are you going to make the meat balls with the green bits in them again?” Also, I think I am going to make mini patties with the meat mix as my “meat balls” were not round at all.
These are delicious. My roommate and I love it. The sauce is perfect. The meatballs were VERY tasty, but very…sloppy. They were way too mushy to hold their shape. Next time, I might try a variant with fewer oils and sauces in the mix or more solid ingredients. I would even add bread crumbs, but I might try for something healthier. I will definitely make this again.
I used chicken instead and I went without the glaze. These were amazing. AMAZING. We ate them with salads as well as Korean style with rice and kimchi.
I love this recipe and concept! We made it with ground pork instead of turkey and added ground shrimp. It gave it a really wonderful texture and an extra rich flavor. We served it with noodles with peanut sauce – sort of a cool riff on spaghetti and meatballs. Delicious!
I just had to tell you that I made these at our Super bowl party and they were gone in a flash. They were amazing. The sauce was to die for. Absolutely fanatstic! Also, I prepared everything a day in advance so I used my crockpot to heat it all up and it worked out real well.
Thank you, AGAIN! Love your blog :-)
Made these tonight with slight adjustments to the glaze—substituted a bit of maple syrup for sweetness since I didn’t have any mirin, and since we only had light brown sugar I added a drop of molasses as well (the flavors worked perfectly). I served these over udon noodles (an Asian-inspired spaghetti and meatballs) and drizzled the glaze over the whole thing, then sprinkled with a few sesame seeds. They turned out so beautifully–thanks for the amazing recipe and wonderful blog!
p.s. I used light meat ground turkey, and the meatballs were a little soft, so I added a little flour so they held their shape!
These are the most amazing tasty meatballs with an amazing glaze! If you make the sauce a day ahead the flavors intensify and delicious. Great blog, keep up the terrific recipes and inspirational thoughts.
How would you serve these at a party? On a platter with the glaze on them or on the side? Should I keep them in a crock pot so that they’re warm? I’m hosting a bachelorette party in a hotel & really want to make these but it has no oven for rewarming.. Thanks!!
Thanks so much for posting the recipe! I’ve already made these four (!) times and I’m going to make them again tonight. I’ve had success with using ground chicken and ground pork and I also bake them at 400 for 15-20 minutes…less messy and less work!
This is now my third time making this yummy recipe – this time instead of making meatballs – I’m going to do burgers, using the sauce as a topping..I think its going to be a hit!
this looks amazing! must try :)
I made these last night for dinner – they were fabulous! The sauce took quite a while to thicken, like you said, but it worked out anyway. I will definitely make these again but first I must try all of your other recipes :)
These are just delicious made as is and I will surely make them again. Next time I think I will experiment by adding a little garlic and maybe a bit of cayenne to the meatballs. The one substitution I made with the sauce was rice vinegar for rice wine.
Also I made a few tonight for a snack and froze the rest (uncooked). Nice to have on hand.
Have made many times and we love this recipe this evening I am going to make after I grind my chicken with my Mother’s day gift of a meat grinder!
Happy Mother’s Day
i am THOROUGHLY OBSESSED with these meatballs. just made them again for a dinner party pared with the cabbage slaw with spicy lime dressing.
BTW, my turn to host our neighborhood dining club last week. for the theme i had everyone pick a recipe from your site and we did small plates. naturally everything was fantastic!
Re: BAKING these: I’ve made these plenty of times, but this last time I went out on a limb and baked them, since I have a totally lovely Baked Turkey Meatballs w/ Lentils recipe from Williams-Sonoma that always works like a charm. These had what has to be the creepiest texture in a meatball I’ve ever experienced. (I’ve never eaten baked/congealed baby food that has had all the moisture removed from it but I have a good guess as to what it may taste like now…) Though my family ate them, I’ve got PLENTY of leftovers, and that is NEVER the case with these. It’ll be one of those recipes that I’ll now have to wait to re-visit because I kinda ruined it for a while, sadly. The moral of the story? Suck it up, friends, and cook these in a skillet as the recipe indicates.
Glaze was great. I let it cook for at least 30 minutes so it could reduce enough. The meatballs were terribly wet though. Too wet. Adding an egg plus 1/4 cup additional moisture from the soy and sesame oil to only 1 lb of meat was overkill. I had to add at least a 1/2C panko to stiffen the mixture to a somewhat ballable blend. I also felt the flavor of the meatball was flat. It needed garlic and ginger to kick it up…kinda like a poststicker filling as others have mentioned doing. Glaze was great though.
My Dad and I have made these a couple of times now for family dinners. I just thought I would comment to say that this week when we made them, we got a bit “distracted” (didn’t read the instructions properly!) and we just put all the sauce ingredients into a cold saucepan, set it to heat and then forgot about it again (ahem, yeah, sorry!). We probably cooked it for about 20 mins on a medium heat. It turned into the most gorgeous sticky, thick, toffee-like glaze ever.It was to die for! So we are definitely going to skip all that sauce prep again and just chuck it all in to bubble away!
Also, we put the balls of meat mix onto a heated, heavy bottomed, flat non-stick pan without any oil and they fried beautifully. We did find the mix was quite wet each time we made these, but just put spoonfuls into the pan rather than pre-rolling balls. We will keep making them as they are now a firm family favourite dinner, with some boiled basmati rice and a green salad on the side. Thanks for a great recipe Deb!
Just by looking at the bowl of meatball ingredients, I can taste this dish. I recently made a marinade very similar to this for some spareribs. I wished I had a Gewurztraminer that night, as I do now. Perfect.
I am in the process of making these for friends tonight. I doubled the recipe and the sauce. The sauce obviously is taking much longer to reduce. But that’s not the problem. The sauce is way too salty! What can I do to cut the salty flavor of the sauce without adding water to thin it out? Any last minute suggestions? Thanks.
These are the perfect party food, and yes, they call out for Gewurtztraminer.
Hi Deb! Love your blog. Quick question, I need to make these a day in advance, could you please give your recommended instructions for reheating? Thank you.
I would cook them until they are browned and *just* done in the center, then rewarm them in the oven on a tray. The sauce can be rewarmed in a microwave (I think?) or a saucepan.
Great recipe. Thanks. I did cut back on the sugar and added lime juice. I think the next time I would sub some ponzu for some of the soy sauce.
Delicious recipe. Blew people away at a party where everything else was chips, dips and salsa.
I swapped the turkey for fresh ground pork and added garlic to the recipe.
Thank you!
Made this and loved it last winter. Had great difficulty finding it again. Why isn’t in the index under poultry?
It is now! Thank you.
YUM! These are fantastic!
Haha, just read your comment 73, don’t think you saw many near empty rooms! I know Vancouver was so busy I could just hear your voice while standing in an aisle of books! Like the sound of this recipe but don’t want to have to brown them first, we’ll see how much energy I have for my holiday season kick off party this Saturday.
If you have leftover sauce, as we did, it’s really good on roasted brussels sprouts.
I want to make these ahead and freeze. I’m thinking just undercooking when browning; making the glaze and freezing both separately. Please tell me this is okay — I’ve got 7# of meat in the refrigerator for ‘meatball making day’ – tomorrow. Party insn’t until 12/22 and they will be held in a chafer.
Thanks.
I think it will be just fine. When it doubt, use a meat thermometer to check for meat doneness and nothing is left to chance!
Hello Deb – these ‘taste-tested’ great. The meatballs are frozen, but the glaze, in a separate freezer bag won’t freeze. I had to use a combination of mirin and dry sherry but I would not have thought that would affect the freezing process.
Thanks.
Hi Maggie — Alcohol doesn’t freeze, right? (Or, not solid.) So, that’s likely the culprit. Doesn’t mean, I don’t think, that it won’t stay fresh in the freezer until needed.
Soy sauce is not gluten free it’s made with wheat.
Hi Mary — If you check the recipe notes, they clarify that the recipe is only gluten-free if you use a gluten-free soy sauce. (I bought mine at Whole Foods, where there were more GF soy sauce brands than ones with gluten.)
I made these on Monday for NYE – our guests loved them! I baked them in the oven and they came out great (although a little flat like a slider). I also made the gruyere rosemary sea salt crisps from the cookbook and EVERYONE wanted the recipe! I think every lady there took a photo of the cookbook before she left so she could go buy it! Thank you for posting amazing recipes – I am never disappointed! Happy New Year!
I am recently GF and made these last night for a 10 person dinner party I hosted. I made the non-mini version by browning on both sides and then dumping them in my slow cooker. I didn’t reduce the sauce, but used it as my liquid in the slow cooker. They turned out AMAZING!! So juicy and delicious that I have had half the party guests ask for the recipe already. My foodie friend said they were the best thing she ate all night! Thanks for several years worth of recipes that I have used. I love that anything I make from here always turns out delicious!
I’m a little confused. I was looking at the “Jewish” recipes to find something to make my boyfriend’s southern baptist parents who want to experience my culture, and this recipe was listed in the category. Was that a mistake, or is there something jewish about this recipe that I completely missed? Thanks Deb! Also, you’re in my city tonight, but I’m working and they won’t let me leave early to go to your book signing. SO BUMMED!
Victoria — Ha! No, that would have been an accidental mis-filing. Just relieved they weren’t pork. ;) So sorry we didn’t get to meet!
I made this for my husband who was skeptical- He now begs for me to make this whenever I can. We have made them for a recent cocktial party and guests they were pleasantly shocked that they were Turkey meatballs.
The sauce is amazing and they said it best” This sauce is so good – you could put it on a shoe and it would taste good!”
So … thank you for giving me this amazing go to receipe- I never cook- I don’t cook- and I frankly burn everything, but with this receipe I was able to impress my husband and all my friends and family. I can hold my head up a little higher now thanks to you!
This is a lovely and relatively simple recipe. I followed it exactly but next time I will not put 1/2 cup of soy sauce. It was way too salty. I simmered my sauce for about 45 mins to get it down to half the original amount. And I may just omit the soy sauce in the meat mixture all together. The other problem I had was making it look like meatballs. Mine came out more like meat cubes. Instead of serving it as finger food, I paired it with rice. Overall it’s still a good recipe. Thanks, Deb!
Saturday night. Scallion meatballs with soy-ginger glaze, paired with spring rolls and sticky rice. I’m smitten. I followed the recipe exactly (well, I used a mirin substitute) with no problems forming the meatballs. i would not add garlic to the meatballs as despite the comments I read … raw garlic in meatballs, no thanks. I could probably make a bucket of the glaze though, and it wouldn’t be enough. The best part … half are frozen and waiting in the freezer. Thank you Smitten Kitchen.
Hi there, LOVE your blog. I made these delicious meatballs about a month ago and I am making them again tonight. I have a question though: I saved some of the leftover sauce when I made them last and it is still in the fridge in a Tupperware container-it’s very thick and syrupy but I am thinking I can just reheat and re-use right? Nothing in the sauce can really go bad, but I thought I should check first. Thanks for any guidance!! Cheers to the weekend :)
Made these meatballs last night for a Christmas party and they were a huge hit! One person even said they were the best they’ve ever eaten. Thank you for the recipe!
I made these for a Christmas Eve appetizer party and they were loved. When I tasted the sauce and meatballs separately I thought both were good but not anything special – it’s together that they were really delicious! First thing to be finished at the table. I used a cheap soy sauce and I definitely recommend using a higher-quality one to make the sauce less cloying.
Hi Deb, recently found your blog and became hooked on it for the last two weeks. Made the meatballs last night – they were excellent. To speed up the sauce, I just poured it on the skillet after the meatballs were done and the sauce got reduced in minutes. PS. Love your Russian recipe section – this is my background, but I never make anything like this – too much work involved :-)
Made them for dinner. Served with Basmati rice and Indian-style salad (chopped onion, tomato, cucumber, grated carrot with lemon juice and salt). They were excellent!
I made these today with chicken instead of pork and eliminated the sauce. They were so flavorful and the proportions were spot on! I also sauteed baby spinach in the same oil as the meatballs…..with rice, this is a great lunch combo for me.
It’s nice to see a party meatball recipe that doesn’t include jelly…
delicious flavors in the meatballs! they browned up nicely. as convenient as it is to do it all on the stovetop though, I’ve become quite accustomed to the ottolenghi 4 minute browning and 5-7 minute oven. I think I may try that next time with these. Also, I wonder if I reduced the glaze a little too much–it was very sticky and strong, not bad, but quite molassesy. I wondered if it should be a bit looser (this may have been because it cooked down faster as I divided the glaze amount by four since I only had 1/2 lb of turkey). I’m going to try your sesame ones in the book next!
A cry small ice cream scoop worked beautifully and you could drop them right into the hot pan without handling the meatball mixture over and over — I also added a couple tablespoons of corn starch to bind the meat mixture — Delicious and thanks for such fantastic flavors.
tiny — not cry
I made these for a New Years party. Very, very good. Loved all the flavors. I did add some breadcrumbs to the meat mixture because it was very wet and almost impossible to form into neat shapes (which I thought looked nicer). The meatballs were still very moist. Thanks for a great recipe!
Made these for the Super Bowl last night… the mixture was so very wet, and despite tossing from palm to palm to shape, still ended up looking like little miniature patties/sliders. The flavor was great, so I certainly wouldn’t want to remove any of the meatball ingredients. I get my ground turkey (all of my meat actually) from several local farmers, and it had been frozen. I’m certain there was extra moisture because of that. And can we talk about that sauce?!?!?! I want to bathe in that sauce. I have some leftover, and great plans for some awesome-tasting veggies this week. Yum.
I made these for a party yesterday along with your Middle Eastern, Greek and Italian meatballs. Each one had a paired dipping sauce and there were platters of crudites for dipping as well. Great fun!
For simplicity, I used the same mix for all the meatballs (2/3 beef, 1/3 pork) including this one. I also followed your suggestion and added about half a cup of breadcrumbs to the mixture to bind and tenderize it. I was worried the sesame would be overpowering, but it was lovely! The sauce was fantastic too, exactly as is.
But the real reason I’m commenting: I had some left over, so I reheated them in a sriracha-spiked chicken broth and added rice noodles and shredded cabbage. Ohhhhh my goodness. The perfect food for a single-digit winter evening.
Just a follow up: I made these again after several months (have been on an Italian meatball kick..) and wow it’s all about Asian right now. I incorporated Deb’s suggestion to add a handful of breadcrumbs dampened with just a squirt water, and since I had a bit of trouble browning for the whole time last go around, I browned for 5 mins on stovetop and finished on a sheet pan in 400 oven for about 10. Since mine were a little bigger I found this method yielded perfect, moist and cooked through balls. Thanks again.
can you freeze meatballs ahead, and will they taste fresh when defrosted?
Clara — You can freeze them, definitely. For me, freshness is more about the freezer — some pick up more smells. If yours does not, no reason they shouldn’t be as fresh as anything else after a month or so.
I’ve made these delicious meatballs 10+ times and they are a crowd pleaser! I follow the recipe exactly. I recently made a triple batch for a party, served on a bed of Napa Slaw. I had extra, uncooked that I whipped into a turkey burger – topped with a lite mayo & chili garlic sauce — best turkey burger ever!! DP, thanks! I love your recipes.
I LOVE these meatballs and have made them several times over. I want to make them for a party I’m throwing next weekend, but have a few questions-
1) Do you think I can leave them “warming” in the oven at around 200F without drying them out?
2) I can’t seem to find enough other Asian-y things to try for the party. Everything else I chose was Italian-esque. Your Caesar salad deviled eggs, your marinated eggplant with capers and mint, your bourbon slush punch, your marinated roasted peppers with capers and mozzarella (or maybe a Caprese salad depending on how delectable the tomatoes are!)… as you can see I am going for more of a finger food approach.
Any ideas so that I can serve these awesome meatballs without having flavors that don’t make sense together?? (aka please help!) I’m fine to switch out a few of the others. Your help, great guru, would be much appreciated!
PS- you’re the best. There’s no other blog I can find to blindly trust. Everything you make has the Midas touch!
Hanna — I think you can leave them warming for a while, maybe not hours but if you’re nervous, you can always add a splash extra water to the meatballs to give them more protection from the heat. You might find some ideas in the small/sparsely populated Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai sections of the recipe archives. The fried egg salad, mango slaw and ginger fried rice are longtime favorites, as are the noodle dishes. And thank you!
Hi, I am desperately looking for an easy protein to serve at a holiday open house. We are making latkes so I need something that will require virtually zero effort at the party. Wondering what your thoughts would be about broiling these meatballs, for simplicity? Thinking if I could get dark meat or mix it might work? Thanks!
Lynda — I think broiling would be just fine.
Great recipe! Making them in stages in prep for a Christmas party so I just made the meatballs right now. Took the advice of some others and added 1/8 c of panko to help it hold together. I also added about 1 tbsp of garlic paste and a few shakes of garlic salt (I used low sodium soy sauce so it needed a little more salt to me). Per the author, I subbed parsley for cilantro because I’m not a big fan. Mixed it all together in my stand mixer. Used a tablespoon to measure out even little appetizer sized balls. Cooked them in a cast iron skillet, using 2 forks to turn every minute or so to slightly brown and keep them round, then let them cook through for an additonal 5 minutes. After letting them drain on paper towels for a few minutes (and sneaking a couple), I placed the meatballs on a foil lined cookie sheet and froze them. I’ll put then in a ziplock bag to store in the freezer. My plan is to make the sauce the day of my party, then dump the frozen meatballs and sauce in my slow cooker. These were pretty darn tasty by themselves so I can’t wait to try with the sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for your recipe dive in the newsletter – this is JUST what I was looking for, for New Year’s Eve!
I made these for a christmas party also. Tripled it. Made the meatballs a couple of weeks ahead, baked them and frozen on a sheet pan , wrapped well, thawed them the morning of and reheated in the sauce in my electric fry pan. I did add some bread crumbs just to make handling easier. They were a big hit.
We made these tonight – Vegetarian Style! I substituted most of the meat with ground soaked walnuts and then some tofu for variation. Aside from my sauce being VERY salty (I didn’t use reduced sodium, but definitely wished I had) these were lovely. I’ve never had real meatballs so I can’t vouch for how mine would compare to such a thing but they were tasty and hearty. We were both stuffed (especially after all of the water we consumed to deal with the saltiness!). Thanks for being an inspiration in my kitchen… Again and again!
Made these for a holiday party. They are delicious. I made half the night before and then made another batch on the day of the party. The sauce was a little tricky – turned into a hard candy before I knew it. Made it a second time and it was still really thick – but completely delicious. Am making them again tonight for dinner and love the flavors. Thanks for this super easy recipe!
Made these for a post holiday party and they were devoured in minutes. Nobody realized they were turkey, which is a compliment, apparently! Thanks for keeping the recipes coming, Deb!
Another winner, Deb! I used 3/4 c fresh parsley and 1/2 tsp dried cilantro bc. my market was out of fresh cilantro. Were I to do anything differently it would be to be as generous with the oil as Deb says! My second batch of meatballs stuck to the cast iron pan when the oil became scant.
I will make another batch with chicken, but I suspect turkey is the way to go.
Thanks for a great recipe.
Funny! So as per my comment above, I made another batch with minced chicken, and whereas before I used parsley, this time I used cilantro.
Wow! I love cilantro and cook with it often, but this batch of meatballs taste like dish-soap to me. (I hear there is something genetic about whether or not one thinks cilantro tastes like dish soap). I find this strange, as I have enjoyed cilantro in other dishes.
When I make this again, I will stick to turkey (which was more moist and absorbed flavors better) and parsley.
Thanks, Deb.
Does anyone have any suggestions on making this a main course? I’d love to make them for dinner tonight.
yum-o! I made these last night to have as leftovers for the week, they’re so great! I made a pot of basmati rice on the side as some other commenters have also mentioned. To pack for lunches I drizzled the sauce over the rice and then put the meatballs on top, to avoid soggyness. The rice soaked everything up wonderfully and I’m looking forward to an interesting, wholesome, relatively healthy week of lunches!
My meat balls didn’t turn out as meat balls, they were weird three-sided blobs :( I have no idea how you’re supposed to get them round and evenly cooked. Next time I’m making patties instead of balls. The sauce took more like an hour and a half until it turned into anything resembling syrup.
The taste was excellent though, so I’m gonna be making these again!
Why is this in gluten free? Just an FYI- spy sauce is NOT gluten free. Soy sauce contains wheat. Tamari doesn’t and IS gluten free!
At least 90% of the soy sauce bottles I see at stores these days are clearly labeled gluten-free; I just presume someone who is will know which kind to buy.
These were delicious! I made some cucumber and carrot matchsticks and put it all on some french bread to make a sandwich. I will definitely make these again! Although, there was a bit too much sesame oil for my preference. It seemed to overpower everything else, so next time I will only use 1 tablespoon.
Is there something that can substitute the sake and wine to make this an alcohol free recipe? Thank you!
These were perfect to bring to a potluck last night- easy to whip up after work, and they got tons of compliments!
I made these for New Year’s Eve … but having made turkey meatballs fairly often …I was prepared when reading the recipe for maybe wanting breadcrumbs or another binder and I ended up adding 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs (homemade sourdough). And I baked them in a mini-muffin pan which is also my preferred method. With a dribble of olive oil in each mini, the meatballs get crisp in the oven (475 for 15 min.)
Thanks for the heads up on the reduction time. It did take longer than I expected and just left it on low until it was syrupy. Overall, loved the meatballs but kind of meh on the sauce. I usually come down on making my own but I DO keep some Soy Vay sauce/marinades and think they are as good or better.
I made these for a holiday cocktail party and these were s big hit but I wondered about adding more flavor to the meatballs. More sesame oil or some heat? Hot paprika, red pepper flakes or cayenne?
I love these meatballs and make them all the time for parties and to server with rice and snow peas for an easy week night meal. I make a double batch and freeze the uncooked meatballs and sauce separately. Since you have to simmer and reduce the sauce, I wonder if it would just be easier to add less water? I may try this next time I make them.
I just tried this; also reduced the amount of soy sauce to 3/8 cup, since I found them overwhelmingly salty last time.
It pretty much works, though (probably unsurprisingly) I feel like the sauce requires a bit more babysitting as it simmers.
I made these for the Super Bowl and ended up with some leftover meatball mix and glaze, and I’m happy to report that if you add two slices of bread’s worth of breadcrumbs, it makes for a really delicious meatloaf. (I don’t know how much of a batch I had left, so I couldn’t tell you specific cook times, but I ran mine through a 400* oven for about 40 minutes, took it out and added some glaze, and then let it go for five more minutes. Go ahead and experiment.)
The actual meatballs were a hit at the party I went to, too, so thanks for posting this! I’ll be making these again in the future for sure. Yum.
I would make them again but use pork as the flavor of the meatballs was a bit bland. I cut the sugar a bit and that was a mistake so added a bit of maple syrup.sauce good meatballs need jazzing up.
I make similar meatballs and throw them in this simple Asian noodle soup along with some chopped spinach and a fried egg. I always make a big batch of these to freeze: http://omnivorescookbook.com/soy-sauce-noodles
These were a huge hit! I doubled the recipe and added about 1/2 panko becasue that’s what I do, and used a 1/4 cup scoop to measure out the meatballs. I cooked them at 425 for 20 minutes and then added them to the sauce. I substituted gin and 1/4 cup sugar for the mirin and that was fine. I served them on a bed of coconut polenta.
I want to make A LOT of these for a party I am giving on Tuesday (It’s Friday). Do you think they freeze well? And would one freeze them after browning or freeze them raw?
OK, so I have made 200 of these in the last two days and they are amazing. I added grapefruit zest to the glaze, just because a little voice inside my head told me to do so. I also recommend keeping the fresh soy marinated ginger…its crack like caramelized bacon!
Very nice. We tried the recipe as is, and liked it very much. No such thing as too much ginger in my mind. Although it would no longer be gluenten free, I would use a little bit do bread crumbs as a binding agents. We tried the sauce before and after straining, and prefer it without straining, to enjoy all those lovely bits of ginger; although you may want to replace the peppercorn with ground pepper. A little cornstarch with guarantee thickening if it’s as thick on it’s own. Certainly a keeper!
These were amazingly tasty. I made them the day before, and the couple I popped in my mouth while they were fresh outta the pan were wowzers. They were still really good the following day, and a big hit at my party. Just before the party, I warmed them in a skillet and tossed them with half the reduced sauce, setting out the other half as a dip.
But I, like others, had to add bread crumbs (I used about 2/3 cup of panko). Without the panko, the meatball mix was the runny consistency of pancake batter. With the panko, the mix was still really soft and wet — enough so that the meatballs flattened a bit in the pan.
But for all that, so amazingly delicious that I’m making another batch tonight for myself.
I just made these and the “dough” was a little sloppy/wet. I rolled the meatballs in rice flour (keeping them gluten free) and they are cooking now. Flour is helping to keep their round shape.
Ok, so by the time I finished making these, I was sure I’d never make them again: 1) I, too, needed some more bulk in order for them to be able to be formed into balls and so I sent my husband out to the store to buy some panko just 1 hr before I needed them to be done for a party – stress!; 2) You fry them. I despise frying – it’s messy and oil splatters on me; 3) I was sure I had burned most of them; 4) the “glaze” was so thin despite being on the stove for nearly an hour (no thickness at all) and 5) I felt so worried bringing these to a party – worried they wouldn’t taste good, that I had messed them up in my attempts at frying. My only hope I hung onto was that it was a Smitten Kitchen recipe, and that has never steered me wrong….
….So I brought them to the party….
…Every last one got eaten… by toddlers and adults alike….
…4 people asked me for the recipe…
… several people commented on how good they were…
And now I feel more confident in them and am pretty sure I’d be willing to make them again. :)
Would ground pork work instead of turkey?
Made this tonight!! Yum!! A permanent part of the “whats for dinner” rotation now
Boy oh boy these were good. It’s New Year’s Eve but luckily these are not earmarked for a party, I just made them because they looked tempting and I was getting tired of tomato-based beef meatballs. Didn’t have scallions so used minced shallot, ran out of soy sauce so only had about 2 tablespoons for the sauce and they were still lovely – I swear I’m usually more organized than that. In the future I’ll add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs and let the mix sit in the fridge for half an hour, as they were not quite round. Maybe I’ll give baking in a muffin tin a try.
I made this recipe last night for dinner and I loved it!! One thing that I did not love, however, was all the splattering of the oil while I fried the meatballs and I was wondering if it would be possible to bake these meatballs and have the recipe turn out just as delicious? Has anyone tried that? Honestly, they are so good I will make them again even if I can’t bake them, but I would like to have the option :)
Yes, you can bake them. I usually do it at 400 for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the meatball.
Ignore my reply/question above! Just saw this. And, thanks!
Thanks Deb! BTW I went to your talk with David Lebovitz at 92nd Y a couple of weeks ago, very entertaining!
I just baked them and they were beyond delicious.
This is that good I could eat all 30 meatballs right now. My new favorite recipe for sure. I used about 1/4 cup panko in the meat mixture and broiled them rather than fry. WOW. I hope I don’t eat the rest before dinner because they are beyond delicious.
Love these meatballs! I’ve made these several times at this point and I’ve sent the recipe to many friends as well.
I follow the recipe closely, minus one major substitution. I use parsley instead of cilantro as I’m just not a fan of cilantro. Other than that, if I have some breadcrumbs or panko in the house, I add a few tablespoons to the mix as well. When I fry the meatballs in a pan, they always end up more triangular shaped that round, but hey, they still taste great :) These are great with rice and veggies as a meal.
I’ve tried to freeze these a couple times. I’d say they turn out ok. They’re not the same as making them fresh, but they still taste good once they’re cooked in the sauce.
I really value all of the comments on this site and want to contribute. I hope this helps someone else!
This was delicious! I did add a lot of ginger and garlic, about 1/4 of panko breadcrumbs, and a little bit of siracha to the actual meatball mixture and cut back on the sesame oil. I made tablespoon ish sized meatballs and baked them for 15 minutes in a 450 F oven.
I made these with a few minor tweaks (less sugar in the sauce, a small amount of breadcrumbs added to the meat, parsley instead of cilantro) and they were spectacular. Just wonderful!
Next time I’ll bake them instead of frying them, to reduce the amount of oil and the mess.
Thanks for another great recipe.
My husband and toddler loved these. In fact, there were guiltily eating then straight from the pan when I came down from showering.
Can these be frozen?
Absolutely, but I’d probably glaze them after defrosting.
I’ve made this twice and loved it both times. Both times, I substituted ground beef for the ground turkey. I also substituted a mix of rice vinegar and sugar for the rice wine. Yesterday, I realized once I was home that I was out of soy sauce, and so added some (a much smaller amount) of fish sauce, and increased the salt. And it was still wonderful even without soy sauce! They’re great on their own/dipped but I I like them better with the glaze poured over them.
Can you substitute the turkey with ground beef?
Yes
Can you bake the meatballs instead of frying?
Yes.
I made these for a NYE gathering last night and they were a HUGE hit! I used ground chicken (and coconut oil to fry) which seemed wetter than ground turkey but they held their shape. I doubled the recipe and made a couple chicken burgers for lunch yesterday too. Delicious! Thanks Deb! Happy New Year!
Made this exactly as written. Glaze really reduced down and was absolutely delicious. I let the meat mixture rest in the fridge for an hour before forming the meatballs and then just formed them by gently flipping from hand to hand. Came out great.
I’ve been meaning to try this recipe for a while and man, why did I wait so long ?!!! Incredibly delicious. Did exactly as written except I ran out of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon short, for the meatballs, so I added in 1 tablespoon of miso instead, and the results were incredible. I might just stick with the miso/soy for future dinners, since I will definitely be making these again, and again, and again.
I made these with garlic ginger roasted brussell spouts with slivered almonds and jasmine rice for dinner. My kids have a new fav food!!
These are the BOMB. The sauce is delicious. I doubled the recipe and my family still wanted more.
I’m using the sauce for other recipes like stir-fried broccoli and other veggies. Very nice. Thank you.
Late to the party here, but I just made these last night. Used ground lamb instead of turkey. Totally delicious! :)
I had a knob of fresh ginger I needed to use up so we ate these with rice and steamed broccoli tonight. They were delicious! I took the suggestion of a few other commenters and added about 1/4 cup of panko and a teaspoon of chili garlic sauce into the meatball mix, baked then broiled instead of pan-fried. I would definitely make them again!
Appreciate the comment tip that suggested using a mini-muffin pan — I did that (450 for 17 minutes), then kept them for a few hours using the “warm” setting on the slow cooker, with the glaze as a base.
I used tamari since I had a gluten sensitive guest (never would have found this recipe if I hadn’t been looking for a gluten free meatball!). If I were making them for myself I might add some heat to the glaze to offset the sweetness a bit. And next time (they were a big hit) I might try making them with pork.
These are pretty good and definitely easy! I made with pork only and baked in a tin with oil but they didn’t brown that well so will try on a baking pan at 400 for 10 min. next time. Will also omit zest in the sauce — it didn’t need it. For a dinner preparation, I will serve in a pasta bowl on top of glaze instead of with individual dipping ramekins as balls fell apart when trying to get to the tasty goodness. Made enough for four servings.
I love this recipe! I make them all the time, and lately I’ve been leaving out the egg. They are easier to work with – not so wet – so no need to use panko. I use a cookie scoop and just scoop them right into the pan. So easy and they hold their shape better actually without the egg.
I accidentally way over reduced my sauce and when it cooled, it hardened. Do you think I can salvage it?
Add a spoonful of water, and then another if needed, and simmer it until it tastes harmonious, just another minute or so.
These are amazing, great job you!
It’s 2020 and we are on lockdown mode. There’s not much we can do, but we can cook and we can make bowls! I did your turkey meatballs and put them on jasmine rice, raw spinach, a spicy sprout mix, did a couple crispy japanese vegetable quick pickles on there, chopped cilantro and scallions- and shelled edamame. Had left over sauce! Thank You!!!
These have been a Covid staple in our house. But I don’t reduce the sauce as much (and sometimes double it because it is so good) and then I make a bowl with rice, grains or leaves and add different sautéed vegetables. I big winner. And, if by chance, there are leftover meatballs they can be dropped into soup for a special surprise.
Hi Deb, could this be adapted for Impossible meat?
I haven’t tested it, but friends who use it in other meatball recipes say it swaps really well.
Could I sub out chicken or pork in place of turkey? Not a fan of turkey.
Yes, absolutely.
I had some pre-made teriyaki chicken meatballs from Costco, so I just opted to make the sauce… and then realized I was out of soy sauce. I did light brown sugar, a bit of molasses, ponzu sauce (since soy is its base), and added some sliced scallions and white sesame seeds. Perfect for our tiny family NYE app-party!
Just found this recipe via your newsletter and my four picky eaters plowed through them – no leftovers. One of those “turn around and it’s all gone” moments. Truly so tasty and I really loved the sauce, too.
My notes:
1. These ended up being tiny patties instead of meatballs. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Next time I’ll try what commenters suggested – add panko/finer breadcrumbs. For meatballs I usually do both, so
2. I found the sauce amazing but just a bit too sweet so next time I’ll try less
sugar.
3. I’d much prefer to bake these so I’m glad others tried that!
4. I served this as an entree with rice and snow peas. So good!
This is a great dish, and I’ve made this about ten times now over the years. As the recipe notes, the mixture can be pretty soft. Lately I’ve added Panko to firm them up, and today I ‘toasted’ the Panko in a pan before adding to the mixture. The result was excellent.
I know you wrote this years ago, and I’ve been a reader for a long time, but this is the very first time I’ve made this. Delicious and so easy! I’m sorry I didn’t run across this recipe before. The reduced sauce is divine (mine reduced in exactly 30 minutes, like yours did. I used chicken because that’s what was in my freezer and added 1/2 cup of gluten free panko to stiffen up the chicken mix. Chicken is a bit wetter than ground turkey. And leftover, I have dinner with some steamed broccoli another night. That’s the best part! Thank you for this recipe. Better late than never, as they say.
Absolutely wonderful as an appetizer! Also wonderful as a main course served over rice.
Outstanding! I’ve made these several times, most recently adding a spoonful of fish sauce and a little panko. Thanks for a great recipe.
I’m assuming the second 1/4 sugar listed in the recipe is a typo? Hope so. Making this right now and didn’t add.
Ignore the last comment. Just got it 🤦🏼♀️
Made these tonight with “Impossible” ground meat and they were fabulous! The flavor came through and the sauce had just enough spice. Will definitely make again.