Sticky Teriyaki Meatballs

Say hello to your new healthy weeknight dinner – a meal prep-friendly takeout-style dish that will satisfy all of your cravings.

For the past couple of weeks I have been all over Asian flavours. Not only did I make a great Chicken Tikka Masala, I am also developing a recipe for a sushi-inspired salmon bowl. Yet I must say that, despite being great and flavoursome, they are also quite time consuming and require a lot of planning ahead. So because of that, I decided to make a quick and easy weeknight recipe that could fit in with it with a busier lifestyle. What I wanted was a great-tasting Asian-inspired dish. But didn’t want the usual stir fry. I wanted a meal prep-friendly comfort food that was also, you know, reasonably healthy. Basically I wanted the best of both world. So for the comfort side I went for meatballs, because, is there anything that screams comfort food more than meatballs? I think not. Meatballs are also a great meal prep idea, because they last comfortably for a few days in the fridge. But because I am using turkey rather than beef, that makes it a lighter option. And then teriyaki flavours... I mean, who wouldn’t want a bit of that sticky, sweet, salty glaze?

I always refrain from buying store-bought teriyaki, because I generally find it too sweet and, frankly, quite boring. Unlike making your own curry paste, I find that making your own teriyaki sauce (or any stir fry sauce) is much more straightforward. It literally takes a couple of minutes to throw this sauce together and another couple of minutes to make it all gooey and sticky. And the great thing about it? You know exactly what went into it.

Now, we are unfortunately still in quarantine, which mean you might need to tweak the recipe a bit to fit it with shelf stable pantry ingredients. So here are a few substitutions:

Soy sauce: I use light, but if you only have dark soy sauce go ahead (maybe use slightly less as it’s saltier). Or use tamari or coconut aminos if that’s what you use.

Honey: you can substitute it with maple syrup, agave syrup or just a bit more sugar (though it will make your teriyaki less sticky).

Garlic: you can use garlic powder if you really do not have fresh garlic. Or even easy garlic will do.

Brown sugar: I prefer it to white sugar because of its “caramel-like” flavour, but any sugar you have got will do.

Also, before I leave you to the recipe, a quick note on the meatballs: I love to bake my meatballs. It makes them less greasy and they hold up together more firmly than when I pan fry them. But if you love frying your meatballs, by all means do! And the same goes for the meat you use. I had turkey on hand, so I went for that, but these meatballs will come out great even with pork, beef or even chicken. Take your pick and go for it.

So here it is. One of the best weeknight meals out there. So sticky and indulgent, you’ll think you have just ordered takeout.

Ingredients:

For the teriyaki sauce:

5 tbsp light soy sauce

1 heaped tbsp honey

2 tsp brown sugar

2-3 tbsp water

1 tsp corn flour (or cornstarch)

1 garlic clove

1 tsp ground ginger

For the meatballs:

300 gr turkey mince

½ red onion

1 egg

3 tbsp breadcrumbs

Ground pepper

Salt

Olive oil

Extras:

Basmati rice

2 spring onions

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Cut ½ red onion very finely and add it to a bowl, along with mince turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Mix everything together with a spoon until fully combined. The mixture must be firm enough that you can shape meatballs out of it, so if needed, add some more breadcrumbs.

3. Rub some olive oil in your hands and shape your meatballs. They should be about an inch in diameter and the mixture should yield around 16 meatballs.

4. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes. After turning them, make your sauce.

5. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, ginger, crushed garlic, honey, sugar, water and corn flour. Mix everything and leave to set for 5 minutes. Add it to a pan or wok and cook on medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until your sauce thickens. Add your meatballs and remove from the heat, stirring until all the meatballs are coated in the sauce.

6. Serve over rice and garnish with spring onions.

If meal prepping, I suggest storing the meatballs and the sauce separately, as with time, your meatballs might go soggy (the horror!). If you have leftovers in the teriaky sauce, keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days and, before reheating, add a splash of water to loosen the sauce.

Enjoy!

Did you try this recipe? How did it go? Let us know by leaving a comment below! Xx