Thai Balls

Name: Thai Balls
Yield: Makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch balls
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pound ground pork; 1 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined, and roughly chopped; 2 large eggs; 3/4 cup fresh Thai or Italian basil, roughly chopped; 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped; 1/2 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped; 2 Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced; 1/2 cup bread crumbs; 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass or lemongrass paste; 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger; 2 garlic cloves, minced; Juice from 1 lime; 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce; 2 tablespoons sesame seeds; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce; 2 large carrots, julienned or grated using the large holes of a box grater; 10 fresh Thai basil or Italian basil leaves, roughly chopped; 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (including stems); 10 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped; 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped; 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

January 24, 2012

A few months after the Shop opened we got a call from the Food Network asking if we would be interested in being guests on Big Daddy’s House with host Aaron McCargo, Jr. They asked if we could develop a new meatball for their Thai-themed episode. The recipe, which captures all of the fresh, wonderful flavors of Southeast Asia, was a big hit on the show and in the Shop as well. Be careful not to chop the herbs too finely and feel free to add extra chiles if you prefer your meatballs extra spicy. The garnish—crunchy peanuts, basil, and grated carrots hit with rice wine vinegar and soy sauce—is a killer. Serve it all with Peanut Sauce (page 67, optional).

Recipe information

Yield
Makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch balls

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound ground pork

1 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined, and roughly chopped

2 large eggs

3/4 cup fresh Thai or Italian basil, roughly chopped

3/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

2 Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 tablespoons minced lemongrass or lemongrass paste

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

Juice from 1 lime

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons fish sauce

FOR THE GARNISH

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

2 large carrots, julienned or grated using the large holes of a box grater

10 fresh Thai basil or Italian basil leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (including stems)

10 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
Step 2
Combine the ground pork, shrimp, eggs, basil, cilantro, mint, chiles, bread crumbs, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and fish sauce in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
Step 3
Roll the mixture into round, golf ball–size meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
Step 4
Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
Step 5
Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish.
Step 6
Meanwhile, to make the garnish, place the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, carrots, basil, cilantro, mint, peanuts, and sesame seeds in a bowl and toss to combine.
Step 7
Spoon the garnish over the top of the meatballs and serve with the peanut sauce (if using).

Reprinted with permission from The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow with Lauren Deen. Copyright © 2011 by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Daniel Holzman is executive chef at The Meatball Shop. He is an alum of Le Bernadin, San Francisco's Fifth Floor, and Aqua, among other highly acclaimed restaurants. He attended the Culinary Institute of America, where he received a full scholarship from the James Beard Foundation. Michael Chernow runs the front-of-house operations and the beverage program at The Meatball Shop. He has worked extensively in restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, where he earned degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management. He and Holzman met as teenagers when they worked together as delivery boys at the New York vegan restaurant Candle Café. Needless to say, the vegan thing didn't really stick. Lauren Deen is the author of the New York Times bestselling Cook Yourself Thin series and Kitchen Playdates. She is an Emmy award—and James Beard award— winning television producer and director. She is currently executive producer of food(ography) on the Cooking Channel.

TagsMeatball Thai Southeast Asian Asian Ground Pork Pork Meat Shrimp Shellfish Seafood Basil Herbs & Spices Mint Thai Chile Chile Vegetable Lemongrass Ginger Starter Snack Dinner Dairy Free Roast Cookbooks

Recipe information

Ingredients

FOR THE GARNISH

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Recipe notes