Thai Meatballs & Noodles

I experimented one night with a different approach to meatballs, just to mix it up–and because I had fresh Thai Basil on hand. I served this to my family over Thai noodles; you can serve it as a noodle soup with meatballs, if you prefer. These also reheat well and are a great sandwich filling; make a big batch and freeze half if you want to have some on hand later.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30-45 minutes, depending upon preparation

Ingredients:

  • 1lb meatloaf mix with salt & pepper (they sell a ground beef/pork mixture at my local market–if you don’t have that option, try buying the beef and pork separately and mix at home)
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs; adjust for proper texture
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • 1 egg (depending upon size; if you are using small eggs, just be sure that you have enough moisture to bind the meat mixture)
  • 2 tbs finely chopped Thai Basil (if you have a mortar & pestle, use this to make a fresh paste–it infuses the flavor better!)
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs Sriracha paste (use less if you prefer less spicy meatballs)
  • 3 cloves minced garlic (or garlic paste if you are pressed for time)
  • 1 tbs lemongrass paste (I use the lemongrass puree from a tube–I find it mixes better and still gives a nice zing)
  • 1 bunch scallions, finely diced (white and light green parts)
  • 2 tbs all purpose flour (enough to lightly coat meatballs)
  • 1 tbs minced ginger (if you don’t have fresh ginger, use 1 1/2 TSP ginger paste)
  • 2 tbs peanut oil (you can substitute vegetable oil if you don’t have peanut oil on hand)
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts (good whether you are plating, or making soup)
  • 1/4 cup water

Based on preference:

  • Cook one package Thai noodles; I usually add 3 tbs Satay Sauce to the noodles to boost flavor, once drained. Note that Thai noodles cook quickly — make sure that you keep an eye on them so that they don’t overcook!
  • If you prefer to use the meatballs in soup, cook meatballs, heat up 3-4 cups beef stock, season stock with 1/3 cup fish sauce, 1 tbs garlic paste, salt, pepper and Sriracha (to taste). Allow the stock to simmer for 15 minutes, or so, before adding meatballs and noodles; adjust seasoning as needed. Add Thai rice noodles and meatballs to stock — cook until noodles are al dente

Cooking Instructions:

  • Mix spices, breadcrumbs and egg in a medium bowl
  • Add meatloaf mix and gently incorporate meat into the spice/egg/breadcrumb mixture (try not to overdo–over mixing can make the meatballs tough)
  • Once you have a texture where the meat mixture can easily be formed into balls, but are still moist, use 1-1 1/2 oz of the mixture to make each meatball. Gently roll between your palms to make round meatballs–make sure that the size is uniform so that they cook evenly!
  • Place flour in a shallow dish; gently roll meatballs in the flour until lightly coated
  • You can opt to start these in an oven-safe skillet: Place oil in the pan and let heat until a few drops of water sizzle when added to the pot. Move the meatballs to ensure that they are uniformly browned. Drain on paper towels.
  • Mix fish sauce, garlic paste, lemongrass paste and water into a heavy bottomed skillet; over medium heat, stir until sauce begins to thicken
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees; if you plan to serve meatballs over noodles, put water to boil in 5qt pot.
  • If you prefer to skip the oil, simply place the shaped meatballs on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (omit the flour dredge)
  • Depending upon your presentation preferences, drop noodles into boiling water when you put meatballs into the oven. When al dente, drain and mix satay paste into noodles
  • Once noodles are ready, plate family style with meatballs over noodles; if you prefer using them in a soup, follow the directions above. Garnish dish with a sprinkle of coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts and minced Thai basil

Mom’s Crock Pot Roast

pot roast is the very definition of comfort food and leftovers make for a tasty lunch
My family loves this recipe–and when I told my son that he can make it with almost no effort using his Instant Pot to cook it in minutes, he was beside himself! (This from a boy who barely boils water!)

There are lots of ways to tweak this dish: notably, if you have access to fresh herbs, use them–it makes for a much brighter and livelier dish! Also: if you are busy and pressed for time, look for pre-cut veggies to use with this recipe. I have purchased a mix of carrots, parsnip and sweet potato dice that I can simply dump into a pot when I am short of time. You can also add red wine, if you like that fruity undertone and piquancy.

One nice feature about this dish: you can make it inexpensively, as pot roast is best done with inexpensive cuts of meat–beef chuck, chicken thighs, or pork butt.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 hours (crock pot on low)

Cooking Instructions:

  • Ingredients:
    • 2-3lb chuck roast, skinless chicken breast or pork butt
    • 1 bag carrots, 2 bags parsnips, 1 lg yellow onion, 6 cloves garlic (crushed), 2-3 stalks celery (all veggies cut to quarter inch slices)
  • Seasoning elements:
    • 2-4 bay leaves (to your taste; make sure to remove before plating)
    • Salt & pepper to taste; make sure to adjust seasoning before serving
    • 1-2 tsp each: thyme, smoked paprika, rosemary, oregano, cumin
    • 2-3 cups stock; use beef if cooking beef, or pork. If cooking chicken, use chicken stock. Add an additional TBSP of stock concentrate–I recommend using vegetable concentrate for all meats, it adds a more subtle taste profile
    • If you can–and this is highly recommended–flour and briefly sear meat in a fry pan–before adding to stock pot. It’s not a must-do, but it adds flavor.
    • Drop veggies, meat and stock into crock pot–in that order–and set to low. This should take 8-9 hours; test if it is fork-tender when you get home from work/activities.
    • If you want to make some extra-tasty gravy: remove the meat and veggies, create a slurry of cornstarch and stock to a consistency of thick soup, cook down for 10 minutes, then add the meat/veggies back into the pot.
    • This makes for great leftovers–so even if you are a singleton, it’s a great recipe to make and have on hand for lunches!