I made this recipe up one day to entice a friend’s young child into eating more vegetables. It was so delicious it became part of my repertoire.
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 scallions, white parts and 2 inches of green tops, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fermented black beans, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 large egg
3 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese chili paste with garlic
1/2 cup cooked white rice
11/4 pounds ground pork
Vegetable oil spray
For dipping:
1 cup Sesame Honey Mustard Sauce
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, and spray the foil with vegetable oil spray.
2. Heat sesame oil and vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, garlic, ginger, and black beans, and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add carrot and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. While vegetables cook, whisk egg, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and chili paste in a mixing bowl. Add rice, and mix well.
3. Add vegetable mixture and pork to the mixing bowl, and mix well again. Make mixture into 11/2-inch meatballs, and arrange meatballs on the prepared pan. Spray tops of meatballs with vegetable oil spray.
4. Bake meatballs for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven, and serve immediately accompanied by a bowl of Sesame Honey Mustard Sauce for dipping.
Note: The pork mixture can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Also, the meatballs can be baked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat them in a 350°F oven, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until hot.