Honey Sriracha Turkey Meatballs

 

 

Honey Sriracha Turkey Meatballs. This recipe I am sharing with you today makes either a simple and tasty appetizer for game nights or dinner parties, or a delicious main course when you add some rice and perhaps a salad or other vegetable on the side.

Not only are they delicious, but this  is a very simple and easy recipe to create.  It is also a small batch recipe, serving only two to three people.  Simply double to serve more.

 

Juicy, tender meatballs  filled with fresh oriental flavor . . .  garlic and ginger with just a touch of seasoning . . .  baked in a hot oven and then finished with a snappy zesty spicy sauce/glaze.

The sauce is what helps these fabulous meatballs to stand out from the rest. You can make them as spicy as you like.  Sweet with honey and brown sugar, a bit salty from soy sauce, and that wonderful garlic heat from the Sriracha sauce.

 

So just what is Sriracha sauce and why do people love it so much?  Its not something I ever heard of when I was growing up, but we live in a much more cosmopolitan world these days and our lives are filled with an abundance of tastes and flavors from around the world.

Sriracha Sauce is a Thai garlic/chili sauce, a bright red condiment which packs quite  a bit of heat but not as much as Tabasco or cayenne pepper.

 

Its a delicious mix of heat (red jalapeno chilis), garlic, sugar, vinegar and salt, and some seasoning of course. Thick and unctuous it is like the Thai equivalent of tomato ketchup!  Except a lot hotter! 

I do enjoy it, but in small quantities, because I don't like my food especially spicy and hot.

 It adds a delicious Unami to most dishes and is really quite addictive.  You can add up to 1/2 TBS of the sauce to this dish. I am a weakling and only add a fraction of that.  Yes, call me cowardly when it comes to hot spice!  Blame my aging innards!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SRIRACHA TURKEY MEATBALLS

This is a small batch recipe, making only 12 1/2-inch sized meatballs. You could make them larger, but you will only get about six 1-inch balls. There are two components to the recipe. The meatballs and the sauce.  The two combined are gorgeous.

For the turkey meatballs:

• 1/2 pound (8 ounces/226g) ground turkey
• 1/4 cup (30g) fine dry bread crumbs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• pinch black pepper

 

For the sauce:

• 2 TBS liquid honey
• 1 TBS light soy sauce
• 1/2 TBS corn starch (corn flour)
• 1/2 TBS (or to taste) Sriracha sauce
• 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup (120ml) water

To garnish:

• toasted sesame seed
• finely chopped spring onions
• chopped parsley

 

I adapted this recipe from one I found on Mildly Meandering. She used ground chicken in her meatballs, which you can certainly do.  The flavors of the sauce also would go very well with pork, and I even think beef.

I love ground turkey and it is something I always have in  my freezer and so it was only natural that I adapted the recipe to use that. I also cut her quantities in half and I changed the sauce to make a much thinner sauce.

 

Her sauce was quite thick. I wanted a looser sauce. One that I could cook the meatballs in for a little bit of time so that its flavors would penetrate the meatballs a bit.  

I like to use Kikkoman soy sauce. Its brewed and not as harsh as other kinds.  I used regular liquid honey.  I wouldn't waste a really expensive honey on this recipe as the other flavors will overpower it. You are really just going for the sweetness of the honey and its viscosity and propensity to glaze things quickly, more than the flavor.

 

HOW TO MAKE HONEY SRIRACHA TURKEY MEATBALLS

These are very simple to make. You make the meatballs and while they are baking, you make the sauce, simply coating the meatballs in the sauce for the last 10 minutes of cook time.

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.

Place all of the ingredients for the meatballs into a bowl and lightly combine until well mixed together.

Shape into 12 1/2-inch meatballs. Place into a small cast iron skillet, leaving some space between each one.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  While the meatballs are baking make the sauce.

 

Whisk together everything in a smalls saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil and thicken. Set aside and keep warm.

At the end of 20 minutes, remove the meatballs from the oven. Pour the sauce over the meatballs, turning them to coat them in the sauce.

Return the meatballs to the oven for a further 10 minutes until they are coated and glazed with the sauce.

Remove and garnish with the sesame seeds, spring onions and parsley. Serve immediately.

 

If you think the sauce is still too thick, feel free to thin it a bit more if you wish. You want it to coat the meatballs, but you don't really want them swimming in it.

You could add a bit of a fruity flavor by using fruit juice instead of the water. Orange juice would be particularly good with all of the other flavors.

 

These were really, REALLY good.  Spicy without being over the top. Moist and tender.  Not swimming in sauce.  The chopped spring onion (my addition) provided a tiny hint of sharpness to blend in with the sweetness and spiciness of the sauce.

I served mine as a main with some steamed basmati rice. I also had a salad on the side.  I think you are really going to enjoy these! 

 

I am no stranger to turkey meatballs. As I have said ground turkey is my ground meat of choice.  Here are some other turkey meatballs I have prepared here in The English Kitchen that you might enjoy!

CRANBERRY AND APPLE TURKEY MEATBALLS -Sweet and tangy, deliciously moist meatballs. These low fat meatballs make a great main course or a delightful appetizer or nibble.  Grated apple really helps to keep these meatballs nice and moist!

TURKEY MEATBALLS AND LEMON RICE - A delicious one pan supper cooked in a skillet. What you have here are tasty tender turkey meatballs, with a lovely veg and lemon flavored rice pilaf.  Quick, easy, colorful and delicious!!

 

Yield: 3

Author: Marie Rayner

Honey Sriracha Turkey Meatballs

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Deliciously spicy. Can be served as an appetizer on their own, or as a main course with some rice and a vegetable on the side.

Ingredients

For the turkey meatballs:

• 1/2 pound (8 ounces/226g) ground turkey
• 1/4 cup (30g) fine dry bread crumbs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• pinch black pepper

For the sauce:

• 2 TBS liquid honey
• 1 TBS light soy sauce
• 1/2 TBS corn starch (corn flour)
• 1/2 TBS (or to taste) Sriracha sauce
• 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup (120ml) water

To garnish:

• toasted sesame seed
• finely chopped spring onions
• chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
2. Place all of the ingredients for the meatballs into a bowl and lightly combine until well mixed together.
3. Shape into 12 1/2-inch meatballs. Place into a small cast iron skillet, leaving some space between each one.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
5. While the meatballs are baking make the sauce.
6. Whisk together everything in a smalls saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil and thicken. Set aside and keep warm.
7. At the end of 20 minutes, remove the meatballs from the oven. Pour the sauce over the meatballs, turning them to coat them in the sauce.
8. Return the meatballs to the oven for a further 10 minutes until they are coated and glazed with the sauce.
9. Remove and garnish with the sesame seeds, spring onions and parsley. Serve immediately.

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