Vietnamese Pork Meatballs

I’ve seen versions of these Asian meatballs floating around the Pinterest boards, and with my love for all things Vietnamese, I knew I had to try to whip up my own version!  These turned out so perfectly crispy and browned on the outside while staying nice and tender – wow.  The coleslaw worked perfectly served under the meatballs in the little lettuce cups, but it would also just be a great side dish for any Asian meal.

For the Coleslaw:

-1/2 of a 16oz. bag of pre-made coleslaw (the kind with green cabbage and carrots)

-1-2 Tbsp mint, chopped

-1-2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

-2 green onions, sliced thin

-5-6 radishes, cut in half then sliced thin

-1/4 c. rice vinegar

-3 tsp mayonnaise

-2-3 tsp chili garlic sauce (found on the Asian aisle of the grocery store)

-1/2 tsp salt

For the Meatballs:

-1 lb. ground pork (the less fat the better)

-2 green onions, finely chopped

-1 inch ginger, grated

-4 garlic cloves, grated

-2 tsp fish sauce

-1 tsp sriracha

-1/2 tsp salt

-juice of 1 lime

-1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce to coat cooked meatballs

For Serving:

-lettuce leaves

-rice

-extra mint or cilantro

For the coleslaw, combine the coleslaw mix, mint, cilantro, green onions, and radishes in a bowl.  In a small container, combine the rice vinegar, mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, and salt and whisk until it’s well combined.  Then pour the dressing over the slaw and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

For the meatballs, combine all of the ingredients except for the chili garlic sauce and mix with your hands until it’s combined.  Make sure you don’t over mix though or your meatballs will be tough.  Then roll the mixture into walnut sized balls and bake at 400° for about 15 minutes.

Once they are done cooking toss them lightly with the reserved chili garlic sauce and serve in lettuce cups with the coleslaw or over rice.  I like to garnish mine with a little extra mint or cilantro.

I knew I was going to love this meal, but I had no idea William and I would both be going back for seconds AND fighting over leftovers the next day! This will definitely be a recipe I’ll be making over and over again. Hope y’all enjoy it as much as we do!

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Creamy Coconut Rice Pudding with Fresh Sliced Mango

One of my favorite desserts is the creamy coconut rice topped with fresh slices of mango that you find in a lot of Thai restaurants.  It’s light and sweet and topped with fruit so it’s basically the healthiest thing around, right?  Recently I’ve really been craving the stuff, but thought I might put a little twist on it, making it into a breakfast baked rice pudding.  Now I can start the day with dessert–sounds good to me!

Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango

-1 can coconut milk

-2 eggs

-1/3 c. sugar

-pinch salt

-1/2 tsp. vanilla

-1/4 c. shredded coconut

-2 1/2 c. already cooked and cooled rice* (white or brown rice work great!)

-1 mango, sliced

-sesame seeds for garnish

First heat the coconut milk over a medium high heat until it’s just simmering.  Then combine the eggs, sugar, and salt, and slowly drizzle the coconut milk into the egg mixture so that it won’t scramble.  Next add the vanilla, shredded coconut, and rice

Pour this mixture into a casserole dish and place that dish into a larger baking dish.  Pour water into the baking dish, half way up the side of the casserole dish.  This is called a bain-marie and is often used with custards to make sure they cook gently and evenly–aren’t you so fancy!

Place the whole thing (carefully!) into a 325° oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until it is nicely set up but still soft.  Remove it from the oven and serve either warm or cold with sliced mango and sesame seeds to garnish.  Enjoy!

*I mention the amount of cooked rice to use in this recipe, because this is a great thing to make with leftover rice!  However, if you’re starting from scratch, you’ll want to cook about 1 cup of dry rice and then let it cool so that it won’t scramble the eggs.

Tuesday’s Table: Miso Maple Glazed Salmon with Braised Baby Bok Choy

I’m always trying to find new ways to prepare healthy ingredients, and this Asian twist on salmon that is rich in omega-3 fatty acid and bok choy loaded with vitamins and minerals really hit the spot!

If you aren’t used to buying miso paste, check the refrigerated section of your grocery store.  Depending on the color of miso you buy (white, red, brown, etc.) this will last in your fridge from 9 to 18 months after it’s been opened.  Not only is it great for adding to marinades like this one, but just think of all of those single servings of miso soup you could make!  Yum!!

Miso Maple Glazed Salmon

-1, 8-10 oz salmon filet (we used a large piece, but if you have individual pieces just adjust your cooking time)

-2 Tbsp red or white miso paste

-1 Tbsp soy sauce

-1 Tbsp mirin (or substitute white wine with a pinch of sugar)

-1 Tbsp maple syrup

-1/2 tsp sesame oil

-1/4 tsp grated ginger

-sesame seeds for garnish

-green onions, sliced for garnish

Combine all ingredients except for sesame seeds and green onions in a Ziploc bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for 10 to 30 minutes.  Turn your broiler on high and cover a broiler rack or baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place the salmon on the rack and place this about 5-7 inches away from your broiler.  Cook for 6-10 minutes or until the top begins to caramelize.  Remove from the oven and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion.

Braised Baby Bok Choy

-5 baby bok choy, cut in half (or 1-2 regular bok choy, cut in quarters)

-2 tsp sesame oil

-2 Tbsp canola oil

-2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

-1/4 c. water

-2 Tbsp soy sauce

-1 Tbsp brown sugar

-2 cloves garlic, grated

-2 tsp ginger, grated

-sesame seeds for garnish

-green onions sliced for garnish

While the salmon is cooking, put a large skillet on the stove-top over medium high heat.  Add the sesame and canola oil, and then add the bok choy, cut side down.  Don’t move them very much—this first step is to allow them to develop a little color.  Depending on the size of your skillet, you may have to do this in batches.  Next, with all of your bok choy in the skillet, add the rice wine vinegar and water, and let this simmer until it’s reduced by half.  While this is simmering, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger, and add this mixture to the pan.  Toss lightly to coat the bok choy.  Garnish with sesame and green onions and enjoy!

Tuesday’s Table – Thai Minced Pork with Holy Basil

If you’ve ever wanted to make delicious, authentic Thai food at home, Pad Gra Prao, or Thai Minced Pork with Holy Basil, is the one to try.  It’s easy to put together, and the ingredients can be found in any regular grocery store, but beyond that, it’s the dish that I request my fiance to cook more than anything else.  He loves that this is my favorite, because he always talks about how fast it is to make…  And finally, I’ve learned to make it myself!

Thai Minced Pork with Holy Basil

Serves 4

-2 Tbsp canola oil, divided

-1 pound ground pork (as lean as you can find)

-5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

-1 shallot, minced

-3-4 Thai chilies, minced (can substitute for crushed red pepper)

-2 bunches of basil, finely chopped

-1 1/2 Tbsp tamari

-1 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce

-1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce

-1 egg per serving

-as much black pepper as you can crack

Heat one Tbsp of canola oil in a wok or large pan over high heat.  Try to not use a non-stick pan with this recipe due to the high temperature needed throughout.  Add the garlic, shallot, and Thai chilies, and stir constantly for about one minute.  Next add the pork.  Continue stirring constantly until the pork is cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Once the pork is fully cooked, you will probably notice a good bit of grease in the pan.  Make sure you drain this thoroughly before adding the tamari, oyster sauce, and fish sauce.  Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.  Turn off the heat, add the basil and tons of freshly cracked black pepper, and stir to combine.

Set this to the side while you fry your eggs.  I do suggest a non-stick pan for these!  Add the reserved Tbsp of canola oil to a small pan over medium high heat.  Crack both eggs into the pan, and let them cook untouched until the whites are almost set.  Then flip!  You will have the best chance of no yolks breaking if you try flipping your eggs with just the flick of a wrist and not the help of any utensils–you can do it!  Only leave the eggs on their second side for a matter of seconds or the yolks won’t stay runny.

Finally, serve the pork over white rice and top with a fried egg.  A little more black pepper, and you’re set!  Enjoy!