So, I have Asian food on the brain. I can’t get enough of it. It probably doesn’t help that I watch cooking shows on TV up until the very minute that I fall asleep. Yes, I am one of those people. Or at least I have been over the past few weeks.
Currently, my favorite late night Cooking Channel TV show is Eat Street. As you might have guessed, if you haven’t seen this show before, this show focuses on food trucks or what we now call curbside dining and they show you the BEST street food out there, all over North America. I just read this blurb about James Cunningham, the host of the show: “Comedian James Cunningham absolutely loves eating, but cannot cook to save his life. So he’s thrilled with his latest gig as the host of Eat St.”
WHAT? He can’t cook?! What do I need to do to remove this guy and take this awesome job? Just kidding.
So, maybe it was an episode of Eat Street that I was dreaming about or maybe it’s because I saw this yesterday and was inspired to make a meatball sandwich. Whatever the reason, this glorious sandwich came into my life today. And it was amazing.
SO SO delicious.
We must talk about the meatballs for a second. I cannot take credit for these juicy, flavorful, balls of deliciousness. I got the recipe from Damn Delicious and Chung-Ah was gracious enough to let me re-publish it here. And I have a small, tiny confession. This was like the second or third time – ever- that I made meatballs from scratch all by myself. I know!!! I know!!!
I don’t know about you, but I am kinda hooked on the All Natural Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Meatballs by Aidells (that you can get at pretty much any Costco) + my kids love them. So, because I usually always have a pack of these in my freezer, I’ve never really felt the need to make my own meatballs. I think I maybe might have made meatballs with my mom once or twice when I was a kid. My memory sucks. And I did make meatballs once with my daughter Phoebe maybe a year ago? But now that I’ve made these and they are seriously so easy and simple to make, something tells me we won’t be buying Aidell’s as frequently as we used to.
I used ground beef this time (for the Hubs) but will definitely try ground turkey next time. And you can eat these plain or in this sandwich. . whatever you prefer. But, let me tell you, this sandwich seriously rocks the house.
And, last confession: I didn’t like Sriracha sauce until recently. I know!!! My husband loves the stuff and anytime we eat anything Asian-ish (not Korean, but Asian food), he squeezes that stuff all over the dish. Kinda drives me crazy. But for this sandwich, you need the Rooster Sauce baby. No need to go crazy. You just need a little with some drizzled honey over the sandwich. Your mouth will thank you later.
OK, I lied, here is one last confession: I don’t like Tabasco sauce. NEVER USE THE STUFF. Never.
I hope you’ve enjoyed!
Hoisin Flavored Meatball Sandwich.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 cup Panko
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 green onions diced
For the Hoisin sauce:
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
For the veggies:
- about 2 cups shredded carrots
- about 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 cup - 1 cup brown rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the sandwiches:
- 5 hot dog buns or long rolls
- Fresh cilantro
- sesame seeds for garnish optional
- Sriracha sauce
- Honey; to drizzle over your sandwich
Instructions
For the Meatballs:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a lined baking sheet with parchment paper, foil or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with all the rest of the ingredients for the meatballs. Using your hands (with plastic kitchen gloves) or a mixing spoon, mix until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 15-18 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until all sides are browned and meatballs are cooked through.
To make the hoisin sauce:
- Simply whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
To prepare the veggies:
- After you have shredded your veggies, set aside in two separate bowls. Combine the sugar, vinegar and salt in a small mixing bowl and mix well. Taste and add more sugar or vinegar if needed. Pour half the vinegar mixture over the carrots, and the other half over the cabbage. Toss well to coat.
To prepare your sandwich:
- Toast your buns and open them on a plate. Lay in 3 meatballs and spoon on the hoisin sauce over the meatballs. Top with the shredded cabbage and carrots. Top with fresh cilantro and sprinkle on some sesame seeds if desired. Lastly, drizzle on your Sriracha sauce and a little honey (for a sweet kick).
