09/01/2023
Quick lemongrass pork meatball traybake
Meatballs, the perpetual crowd pleaser. If you miss the heat, add a finely chopped red chilli to the meatball mixture or serve with a quality chilli sauce. I've added a lot of lemongrass here. Both because I adore its fresh flavour when paired with pork and so there is enough of a 'hit' to measure up to the other strong flavours.
Ingredients
500g pork mince
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 heaped tbsp finely grated lemongrass
½ tsp sesame oil
1½ tbsp sauce (see below)
200g sugar snap peas
1 tbsp sesame seeds
½ cup mixed herbs (I used coriander, Thai basil and micro radish), to serve
1 tbsp sliced spring onion, to serve
Sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
½ tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp finely grated lemongrass
1 tsp grated palm sugar
Method
1. Preheat oven to 175C (155C fan-forced).
2. To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
3. To make the meatballs, add the pork mince, garlic, lemongrass and sesame oil to a bowl with one and a half tablespoons of the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into golfball-sized balls and place in baking dish or roasting tray.
4. Pour the remaining sauce over the meatballs and give the tray a good shake to coat the meatballs in the sauce.
5. Pop in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes. Working quickly, open the oven door, give the tray another good shake to prevent the balls from sticking, and ensure even cooking. Add the sugar snap peas, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
6. If the sauce doesn't appear to be significantly darkened in colour pop back in the oven and turn on the top grill. Leave for 1 minute until sauce darkens and caramelises.
7. Sprinkle over sesame seeds, herbs and spring onion to serve.
