Asian Meatballs with Chile and Cumin

Are there Asian Meatballs?

Asian meatballs are usually very bouncy and chewy compared with more tender Italian style meatballs. The methods of preparation (including thrashing and throwing the meat around) as well as the inclusion of tendon and other connective tissues make Asian meatballs very distinct.

Asian meatballs can be made from beef, pork, fish, or even chicken and are often found in noodle soups such as pho. Italian style meatballs contain mostly meat and do not have tendon and connective tissues. They are more tender and juicy compared with Asian meatballs. My version of Asian meatballs is like a fusion of Western and Eastern cuisine. It has the spices and flavors of Chinese cooking, with the methods and techniques of preparing Italian meatballs.

Asian Meatballs Inspired by Chinese street food

Many provinces in China such as Sichuan are known for their heavily spiced food. They bring spice in both senses of the word: rich flavor as well as mouth-melting heat. You sometimes find dishes that are swimming in chile oil and surrounded by red chile peppers. Sounds scary, right? Trust me, it is not for the faint of heart. People say that the farther up north you go in China, the spicier the food to deal with the cold.

I’m a weakling when it comes to chile. So I can only handle mildly spicy foods. Maybe that is because I grew up in a family that cooked mostly Cantonese food, which is much milder in its flavor profiles. So be forewarned: this is not exactly an authentic Sichuan Chinese recipe. But it is definitely a delicious Asian meatballs recipe. 🙂 I will say that they were definitely inspired by the flavors of cumin spiced meat skewers that are a popular street food in China. If you like spicy foods, also check out my recipe for Spicy Vietnamese Shrimp.

FAQ:

How do I make the perfect marinade?

Having a nice balance of the following: salt, sugar, spices, herbs, oil, acid, and umami (a source of yummy rich flavor: soy sauce, Worcestershire, miso, oyster sauce, fish sauce).

You don’t know what you don’t know. So test it out. After my meats have been marinating for a few hours, I like to cook a small piece of it to taste for flavor. Please don’t eat raw meat! Once it’s cooked, see if you need to add salt, sugar, pepper, sauces, or other spices. Apply this rule for: meatballs, meatloaf, fillings for ravioli or dumplings, etc.

How do I make the perfect meatball?

It is so common to make a dry and tough meatball. You are not alone in this if this happens to you. The most important things to remember are:

• Mix meatballs minimally. They can become tough and difficult to eat when over mixed. Mix just enough for your ingredients to be evenly distributed
• Mix your meat gently
• Add grated onion to the meat mixture. It adds lots of moisture and delicious flavor
• If you want to be extra, you can add gelatinized bone broth into the meat mixture. It will give off juices when cooked.

What chile should I use for Asian meatballs?

This Asian meatball recipe uses the Chinese red chile Tianjian pepper. It is one of the most widely used chiles in Sichuan cooking. If you don’t have that, then a pinch of Italian red pepper flake would work. But Italian red pepper flakes are much spicier than Tianjin peppers, so use in moderation.

How much chile should I use for this recipe?

It depends on your taste, the type of chile that you’re using, and how old the dried chile is. If you’re using Italian red pepper flakes, a pinch might be enough. But they lose their spiciness with time. So you may need to add even more to suit your tastes and give it a kick. As I always encourage with any cooking, give it a taste and adjust to your tastes. The Tianjin chiles that I had must have been older, so they did not taste very spicy. I actually re-purposed the chiles from my Chinese takeout dish, ground them up, and used about 1/2 cup of them in my meatballs. And get this: it wasn’t even that spicy. It really depends, friends! Taste your chiles before deciding how much to add.

Chinese Spiced Meatballs

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Dish

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 onion pureed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pinch Tianjin red pepper adjust to tastes
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice wine or xiaoxing wine optional
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp sambal red chili sauce optional

Instructions

 

• Prepare meatballs. Place ground beef, egg, garlic, pureed onion, salt, Tianjin red pepper, black pepper, cumin, soy sauce, rice wine/xiaoxing wine, and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Use hands to mix together all ingredients gently. Once all ingredients are just incorporated, place in the refrigerator 4 hours-overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Begin forming meat mixture into meatballs 1-2 inches in diameter.
• Place meatballs onto an oiled baking tray, allowing some space between each meatball. Bake for 15 minutes.
• 15 minutes into cooking, take the tray out of the oven. Pour all juices released onto the tray into a bowl. Flip meatballs upside down to allow the other side to brown. Place meatballs back into the oven to cook for another 5 minutes.
• Mix honey and sambal red chili sauce. Use this to glaze meatballs and allow them to roast in the oven for another 5 minutes to brown.
• Remove from the oven and serve with steamed Jasmine rice.

Keyword Asian, beef, main dish