Asian style meatballs with cabbage slaws and cauliflower rice
Asian Meatballs Three Ways
Three weeknight meatballs inspired by Asian kitchens: glossy Sichuan pork patties with a crunchy pear slaw and sesame mayo, Thai lemongrass beef meatballs simmered in coconut curry, and sesame-ginger chicken meatballs, the last two served over a cauliflower fried rice with egg.
Yield: Serves 4 (each version) · Active: 30 min · Total: 50 min–1 hour · Year-round · Cuisine: Chinese, Thai, and pan-Asian · Best eaten: early evening
Which one to make?
Sichuan Pork Meatballs with Pear Slaw and Sesame Mayo: spicy, glossy, and crunchy, with sesame fries. The fun one.
Thai Lemongrass Beef Meatballs in Coconut Curry: warming and saucy, with lemongrass, ginger, and red curry.
Sesame-Ginger Chicken Meatballs: the simplest and most kid-friendly, nestled into the fried rice.
1. Sichuan Pork Meatballs with Pear Slaw and Sesame Mayo
Serves 4 · Active: 30 min · Total: 50 min
Ingredients
Sesame fries (optional)
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch fries
2 tbsp grass-fed tallow or pasture-raised lard, melted
1 tbsp mixed black and white sesame seeds
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt and black pepper
Pork meatballs
1 lb pasture-raised ground pork (or ground chicken or turkey)
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 spring onions, white parts finely chopped (save the greens for the slaw)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 pasture-raised egg, beaten
¼ cup blanched almond flour
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt and ½ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp pasture-raised lard or tallow, for searing
Sichuan glaze
1 tbsp chili oil or chili crisp (see the note below)
¼ tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
2 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp water
Pear slaw
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
2 carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
1 cucumber, thinly sliced into half-moons
1 ripe Asian pear (or Bosc pear), cut into matchsticks
The reserved spring onion greens, thinly sliced
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Optional: 2 tbsp chopped peanuts or cashews
Juice of 1 lime
Sesame mayo
3 tbsp homemade mayo (from my House Mayo) or avocado oil mayo
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp raw honey (or coconut sugar)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
Optional: ½ tsp chili paste
A note on chili crisp: Most store-bought chili crisps are made with soybean or canola oil. To make your own, warm ½ cup avocado oil with 2 tbsp red pepper flakes, 2 sliced garlic cloves, and ½ tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns over low heat for 5 minutes, until the garlic is golden. Let it cool. It keeps 2 weeks in the fridge.
Method
Roast the fries (if making). Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the fries with the melted fat, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and roast 20–25 minutes, turning once, until golden and tender.
Mix the meatballs. Gently combine all the meatball ingredients except the searing fat, just until mixed. (Overworking makes them tough.)
Shape. With damp hands, roll golf-ball-sized balls, then flatten each into a patty about ½ inch thick.
Sear. Heat the lard in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties 3–4 minutes per side, until well browned and cooked through: 160°F for pork, or 165°F for chicken or turkey.
Glaze. Whisk the glaze ingredients. Lower the heat, pour the glaze into the pan, and toss the patties for about 1 minute, until glossy and coated.
Make the sesame mayo. Whisk all the mayo ingredients until smooth.
Toss the slaw. Combine the cabbage, carrots, cucumber, pear, spring onion greens, sesame seeds, and nuts (if using). Squeeze the lime over, and toss with about half the sesame mayo.
Serve the patties over the slaw, with the fries alongside and the rest of the sesame mayo for dipping.
Adapted from HelloFresh New Zealand.
2. Thai Lemongrass Beef Meatballs in Coconut Curry
Serves 4 · Active: 30 min · Total: 1 hour, including 30 minutes chilling
Ingredients
Lemongrass meatballs
1 tbsp coconut oil or avocado oil
½ cup mushrooms, finely minced
1 lemongrass stalk, tough outer layers removed, tender core very finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1 pasture-raised egg
2–3 tbsp almond flour, as needed
Coconut curry sauce
2 tbsp coconut oil, for searing
1 (13.5-oz) can full-fat coconut milk
1 tbsp coconut aminos
Optional: 1 tsp more curry paste, for extra heat
To serve
Cauliflower Fried Rice (below)
Fresh cilantro and Thai basil
Lime wedges
Method
Cook the aromatics. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic, and cook 3 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the curry paste, and cook 1 minute more. Let it cool slightly.
Mix and chill. In a bowl, gently mix the aromatics with the beef and egg. If the mixture is too loose to hold its shape, add almond flour a tablespoon at a time. Roll into tablespoon-sized balls, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (up to 4 hours), so they hold together.
Brown. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, and cook about 8 minutes, turning often, until browned all over.
Simmer. Pour in the coconut milk and coconut aminos, and lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer gently for 5–10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs reach 160°F. Keep it at a gentle simmer; hard boiling can make coconut milk separate.
Serve over the cauliflower fried rice, with cilantro, Thai basil, and lime wedges.
3. Sesame-Ginger Chicken Meatballs
Serves 4 · Active: 30 min · Total: 50 min
Ingredients
1 lb pasture-raised ground chicken (thigh meat stays juiciest)
4 spring onions, white parts finely chopped (save the greens for garnish)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1 pasture-raised egg
2–3 tbsp blanched almond flour, as needed
¼ tsp Baja Gold sea salt and ¼ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp coconut oil or avocado oil, for searing
To serve
Cauliflower Fried Rice (below)
Toasted sesame seeds and the spring onion greens
Method
Mix. Gently combine everything except the searing oil, adding almond flour as needed until the mixture holds together. Don’t overwork it, or the meatballs turn tough.
Shape. With damp hands, roll into golf-ball-sized meatballs.
Sear. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs in batches for 8–10 minutes, turning often, until browned all over and 165°F inside. Keep them warm.
Serve. Make the cauliflower fried rice in the same pan, nestle the meatballs into it, and scatter with sesame seeds and spring onion greens.
Why chicken thighs? Ground thigh meat has several times more fat than ground breast, so the meatballs stay juicy through a hot sear. The same goes for turkey: choose a thigh-and-leg blend.
Cauliflower Fried Rice (for Meatballs 2 and 3)
Serves 4 · 20 minutes
1 large head cauliflower, riced (pulse florets in a food processor until rice-sized; don’t let it turn to mush)
4 tbsp grass-fed ghee, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bunch scallions, sliced (whites and greens separated)
2 carrots, finely diced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
Optional: 1 bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup green peas (fresh or thawed)
4 tbsp coconut aminos, plus more to taste
2 pasture-raised eggs, beaten
Toasted sesame oil, to finish
Sauté the vegetables. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, scallion whites, carrots, mushrooms, and bell pepper (if using), and cook 5 minutes, until just tender.
Add the cauliflower. Add the remaining 2 tbsp ghee, the riced cauliflower, and the peas. Stir-fry 4–5 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender but still has some bite.
Season. Add the coconut aminos, and stir-fry 2–3 minutes more, until lightly browned in spots. Taste, and add more aminos if needed.
Add the egg. Push the cauliflower to one side of the pan. Pour the eggs into the empty side, scramble until just set, then stir them through the rice.
Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and the scallion greens.
The secret to good fried rice (cauliflower or not): Scramble the egg in the hot, empty side of the pan, then break it up into the rice. That’s how Cantonese cooks make fried rice; the egg cooks quickly in concentrated heat and folds in as tender bits. And keep the pan hot and dry, since cauliflower releases more water than rice.
Storage
Meatballs: refrigerated up to 3 days, or frozen up to 3 months.
Coconut curry: refrigerated up to 3 days. Reheat gently, without boiling.
Cauliflower fried rice: refrigerated up to 3 days. Reheat in a hot pan with a little ghee.
Pear slaw: best fresh; it keeps 1 day in the fridge.
A note on honey: The raw honey in the sesame mayo stays raw, since it’s never heated. Honey shouldn’t be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Pasture-raised pork, grass-fed beef, and pasture-raised chicken — complete protein, B12, zinc, and iron (especially in the beef). Pasture-raised pork is one of the richest sources of thiamine (B1), and has more vitamin D than conventional pork.
Fish sauce — deep, savory umami from fermented anchovies and salt. It’s a cousin of Italy’s colatura di alici, from the Amalfi Coast, and of the garum of ancient Rome. Just a tablespoon disappears into the meatballs and lifts everything.
Asian pear — fiber, vitamin C, and potassium, plus a crisp, gentle sweetness that cools the Sichuan heat. Korean cooks often add Asian pear to kimchi for the same reason.
Purple cabbage, cauliflower, and carrots — glucosinolates, anthocyanins, vitamin C, and beta-carotene.
Lemongrass — a fragrant herb loved across Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Indonesian cooking, traditionally used to ease digestion. Use only the tender inner core, sliced very thin.
Ginger and garlic — gingerols and allicin, which support digestion.
Coconut milk — lauric acid and a rich, creamy body that carries the curry’s spices, much as cream does in a French sauce.
Sichuan peppercorns — not related to black pepper, they bring a citrusy aroma and a gentle tingling sensation unique to Sichuan cooking.
Pasture-raised eggs — choline, lutein, and vitamins A, D, and B12.
Sesame seeds — calcium, magnesium, and lignans studied for their antioxidant effects.
As a circadian food, these protein-rich meals are best for an early dinner.
For your cycle: With zinc and B vitamins from the meat and glucosinolates from the cabbage and cauliflower, which support estrogen metabolism, these meals are lovely in any phase. The beef curry is especially warming and restorative during your period.
Sourcing
Ground pork, beef, and chicken — pasture-raised pork and chicken, and 100% grass-fed beef, from a local farm, White Oak Pastures, or US Wellness Meats
Eggs — organic and pasture-raised, from a local farm
Fish sauce — Red Boat, made from just anchovies and salt
Thai red curry paste — Maesri or Mae Ploy (check the label for added sugar or MSG)
Sichuan peppercorns — from a trusted spice shop or Asian market
Coconut milk — organic and full-fat, with no gums, like Native Forest Simple
Coconut aminos — organic and soy-free, like Coconut Secret
Vegetables, herbs, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, pears, and limes — organic, from a farmers’ market or Asian market
Almond flour — organic and blanched
Grass-fed ghee, tallow, and lard — grass-fed ghee and tallow, and pasture-raised lard
Toasted sesame oil — organic and cold-pressed, in dark glass
Raw honey — organic, local, and unfiltered
Raw apple cider vinegar — organic, with the mother (Bragg)
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall