30 minute mongolian meatballs
Easy and saucy, the perfect skillet weeknight meal when you're craving some balls.
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 large onion, quartered
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- steamed rice, sesame seeds, and green onions, to serve
Instructions
- Dry the chickpeas very well by rubbing and patting with paper towels. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chickpeas, walnuts, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, onion, ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz until a coarse but cohesive batter forms. Oil your hands and roll into 12-16 balls.
- In a jar or bowl, shake or whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and 1/2 cup of water.
- Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a skillet over medium. Brown the meatballs for 8-10 minutes, turning carefully every couple minutes to crisp all sides. Remove to a plate.
- Toss the broccoli into the skillet and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until slightly crisp and bright green.
- Pour the sauce into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Whisk the corn starch with 1 tablespoon of water and stir into the sauce. Add the meatballs back into the pan and baste with the sauce until it coats the meatballs and thickens, about 2-3 minutes.
- Divide the meatballs and broccoli among bowls of rice. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, as desired.
Notes
*Nuts in the balls: Heh. If you can't or don't want to use walnuts, any nut works as an alternative. You can also sub for an equal amount of oats (might change the texture) or half the amount of any seed (sunflower, pepita, etc.)