These very flavorful meatballs were a big hit at our Super Bowl party. This is an adaptation of a recipe from the Culinary Institute of America, which appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Meatball Ingredients

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 Tbs. sesame oil

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2-1/2 Tbs. grated ginger

3 scallions, minced

2 tsp. parsley, chopped

1-1/2 Tbs. Thai basil, chopped

1-1/2 cilantro, chopped

1-1/2 Tbs. fish sauce

1 tsp. Sriracha sauce

2 Tbs. whole milk cottage cheese

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Zest of 1 lime, grated

1 lb. ground pork

 

Sauce Ingredients

¾ cup hoisin sauce

2 Tbs. creamy peanut butter

2 Tbs. rice vinegar

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1 Tbs. soy sauce

 

Heat the vegetable and sesame oil in a frying pan, and fry the garlic, ginger, and scallions, until soft and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 11 x 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the parsley, basil, cilantro, fish sauce, SriRacha sauce, cottage cheese, breadcrumbs, black pepper, and lime zest. Next, mix in the cooled garlic, ginger, and scallion. Last, mix in the ground pork until the flavorings are evenly distributed. Do not overwork the meat, which would toughen the meatballs. Using a scoop, form the mixture into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter.  There will be about 20 meatballs. Bake 15-20 minutes until cooked through. At this temperature, the meatballs will not brown very much.

While the meatballs are baking, mix together the sauce ingredients.

Serve the meatballs warm with the sauce.