Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Scallion Meatballs With Soy-Ginger Glaze
adapted from Canal House Cooking, Volume 3, by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce, preferably Japanese or reduced sodium
• 1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped peeled ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 whole black peppercorns

For the Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 4 large scallions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Splash of fish sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Make the sauce: Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar melts completely. Reduce heat to medium-low and add soy sauce, mirin, ginger, coriander and peppercorns. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve. (Can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.)
2. Make meatballs: Combine chicken and pork in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Mix meat mixture, scallions, garlic, cilantro, egg, sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, pepper and cornstarch together in a bowl. Roll tablespoons of mixture into 1-inch balls, about the size of a walnut. Line the meatballs up on a baking sheet and chill in the fridge until you’re ready to cook them.
3. Coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with vegetable oil and place over medium-high heat, . Working in batches to avoid crowding, place meatballs in pan and fry, until lightly browned all over, about 3-4 minutes per batch. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through.
4. Arrange on a serving platter, spoon a little glaze over each meatball, and serve with toothpicks.

Makes approximately 3 dozen meatballs.