Confessions and a Damn Good Hoisin Flavored Meatball Sandwich.

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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!

Print Recipe

Hoisin Flavored Meatball Sandwich.

This recipe should make about 15-18 meatballs. I used 3 meatballs in each sandwich. For added flavor and if just making the meatballs and no sandwich, after the meatballs have been cooking in the oven for about 20 minutes, remove from the oven, cover each meatball with the hoisin sauce and return to the oven to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Main or Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 4 -5
Author: Hip Foodie Mom (meatball recipe from Damn Delicious)

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).

 

 

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Comments

  1. Allison (Spontaneous Tomato) says

    January 15, 2013 at 7:18 pm

    Yum, these look great! Such a fun post to read, too 🙂 I don’t really watch much food TV– even though I devour all food-related stuff on the internet (+ cookbooks)– but I will have to check out “Eat Street” sometime now! (And fingers crossed that you can take over that guy’s job!)

    Also, I can’t believe it took you so long to warm up to Sriracha, but I agree with you wholeheartedly about Tabasco– that stuff is gross!

    Reply

    • hipfoodiemom says

      January 15, 2013 at 10:13 pm

      Haha, thank you Allison! 🙂 I would be in heaven if I had that job. . but then I guess I would have major heart problems and would have to exercise all the time! 😛

      Reply

  2. REMCooks says

    January 15, 2013 at 7:37 pm

    Great concept, great photos. As for Sriracha sauce, I like it a lot. My third son loves it. I gave him a birthday present of nothing but Sriracha stuff, i.e Sriracha sauce, Sriracha peas, Sriracha nuts, Sriracha cookbook, Sriracha apron, etc. I also love Tobasco sauce but it beloings in certain dishes. Baby Lady prefers Louisiana Hot Sauce. My favorite truly is my own hot sauce I make from scratch. I don’t have wooden barrels or the capacity to temperature store the stuff to age it but my own fermented hot sauce is scrumptious. I send it to my third son in bottles labeled “Yo Daddy Hot Sauce” with a date on it. What I keep for me is simply bottled and dated. The technique is posted on the blog. I also have a different version posted on Facebook under the REMCooks page. Once you start making your own, your husband will forget about Sriracha Sauce.

    Reply

    • hipfoodiemom says

      January 15, 2013 at 10:15 pm

      Wow, Richard. . I am totally going to look for that hot sauce recipe. . love it! And I especially love that you labeled it “Yo Daddy Hot Sauce”- freaking love that! 🙂

      Reply

  3. Brandi says

    January 15, 2013 at 8:47 pm

    Omg I just saw that sauce at the grocery store the other day when buying curry paste! It looked so good!! The sandwiches look so flavorful and so colorful. Love them!! I’ve yet to try Sriracha sauce but need too!!

    Reply

    • hipfoodiemom says

      January 15, 2013 at 10:16 pm

      Thank you so much Brandi! I’m not completely sure on the ingredients. . but if you like a little spicy and a kick with your Asian food, you should definitely try it!! 🙂

      Reply

    • hipfoodiemom says

      January 16, 2013 at 6:59 am

      Oh Allie, it’s wonderful. . let me know if you do! At least make the meatballs. . they are so yummy! 🙂

      Reply

  5. Linda | The Urban Mrs says

    January 16, 2013 at 8:54 am

    I hear you, sista. I could watch Cooking Channel all day long, lol. Eat St. is also one of my faves – very inspiring. So, yes to this meatball sandwich. Frederick would love this since he’s a sriracha whore. One time, I challenged him to eat sriracha candy but he refused it. Boo…
    PS: no tabasco for me, either.

    Reply

  6. Nancy @ gottagetbaked says

    January 17, 2013 at 8:54 am

    Time and time again, it’s genius culinary creations like this that reconfirm why you’re one of my foodie heroes. This looks like a damn good sandwich, Alice. I’m not the biggest fan of sriracha so I would use it sparingly but a drizzle of honey to finish the sammich off? Hells to the yeah!

    Reply

  7. Allilau says

    January 17, 2013 at 4:32 pm

    This meatball sub and I might just run away together one day! Loved it at first sight and it’s actually perfect food for hot summer days too 🙂

    Reply

  8. Liz says

    January 20, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    Man, do I love meatballs…and this Asian twist sounds spectacular! Love how you piled the sandwich high with veggies…so, so good!!!

    Reply

  12. laurasmess says

    February 4, 2013 at 5:16 am

    Oh. My. Gosh. These sandwiches look absolutely amazing… I ate something similar to this in a market recently and it’s been on my brain ever since. Thanks for sharing your recipe, yay! I’m excited to make it at home!!

    Reply

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