These Asian beef meatballs are full of fresh and intense flavor from grated ginger, garlic, lime, cilantro and a few drops of hot chili oil. The fresh ingredients add a lot of flavor and also keep the meatballs moist so that no sauce is needed. The meatballs make a great appetizer but can also easily be turned into a main dish when served with fried coconut rice.
For more meatball recipes, check out this Meatball Salad, these Baked Cinnamon Meatballs with Marinara Sauce and these Meatball Stuffed Shells.
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How to make the meatballs:
Prepare the bread mix:
Step 1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix together ½ cup milk and 1 teaspoon lime juice. Cut 2 slices of sandwich bread into small cubes, stir them into the milk mix and let them soak for 10 minutes.
RECIPE NOTE: The soaked bread will add flavor to the meatballs and will also keep them from getting too dense (a trick I learned from America’s Test Kitchen).
Step 2. Using a fork, mash up the soaked bread cubes.
Mix in the meat:
Step 3. In a large bowl, stir together 1 pound ground beef (90 percent lean) and the mashed bread mix.
Mix in the remaining ingredients:
Step 4. Gather the remaining ingredients:
- ⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 minced or pressed garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 whole egg
Step 5. Mix the remaining ingredients into the beef mix.
Make and bake the meatballs:
Step 6. Using a spring-loaded metal scoop or a large spoon, form 18 to 20 meatballs. Set them directly onto non-stick baking sheets (no need to grease the sheets) and bake the meatballs until cooked through (about 20 minutes).
Make the chili oil:
Step 7. To make the chili oil, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes to a small pan and heat until the flakes start to sizzle.
Step 8. Drizzle a few drops of the hot oil onto the meatballs and serve.
Baking versus frying:
I have done these meatballs both ways, baked and fried, and they get nicely brown and crispy either way. Since baking is much less messy, healthier and simply less work, this recipe calls for baking.
What to do with leftovers:
You can store any leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. Heat them up in the microwave before serving.
A few recipe tips:
- If you have a metal scoop with spring-loaded handle, I recommend using that to form the meatballs. That way they will all be evenly sized, plus you won’t need to get your hands dirty. (If you don’t have a scoop, use a spoon and then roll the meatballs with your hands.)
- You can easily make this appetizer recipe a main course by serving the meatballs with fried coconut rice.
More Asian-inspired recipes:
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Full Printable Recipe
Asian Beef Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 slices sandwich bread
- 1 pound ground beef, 90 percent lean
- ⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger root
- 1 egg
For the chili oil:
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- Mix milk and lime juice together in a bowl, cut the sandwich bread into 1-inch cubes and soak in the milk mix for 10 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Mash up the soaked bread cubes with a fork.
- In a large bowl, stir together the beef and the mashed bread mix.
- Mix in the cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and egg.
- Form 18 to 20 meatballs using a spring-loaded metal scoop or a large spoon. Set the meatballs directly onto non-stick baking sheets (there is no need to grease the sheets).
- Bake the meatballs until they are cooked through (about 20 minutes).
For the chili oil:
- Heat vegetable oil and pepper flakes in a pan until the oil is sizzling. Let cool.
- Drizzle a few drops of the hot oil onto the meatballs and serve.
Kelly | Foodtasia
Nicole, these meatballs look so delicious! Love the flavors – they would be a huge hit at our house! The lighting in the photo is so stunning!
meme shebroe
MINOUCHKA:
Amazing good! Similar to my old quick recipe with ground turkey. I bake my meatballs au lieu of frying, and served them over the coconut rice garnished all with chopped cilantro and crushed garlic for extra taste. It was a YUMMY meal and/or served for cocktails! Thanks Nicole for bringing back this great recipe, and which I have shared many times.
Nicole B.
So lovely to hear that, thank you so much! :)
Ariana
is a perfectly prepared so as flavors and the texture. thanks for the recipe
The Blonde Chef
Nicole,
I always love seeing your gorgeous work! You create the perfect lighting, every time. Love love love this shoot. And obviously this recipe sounds just as delicious!
Nicole B.
Thank you so much, Aubrie! :)