Ginger, garlic, cilantro, jalepeno. A delicious winter warmer.
This recipe is originally from the NYT. I always double their meatballs recipie to have leftovers, as any extra meatballs practically evaporate out of our fridge. Also, the NYT version doesn’t add egg or panko to the meatballs, which is legitimately crazy. They’re so much more tender with these binders.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 medium head garlic, peeled
- 1 (6-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into discs and smashed (I use the side of a cleaver)
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 2 bunches cilantro, stems and leaves separated, a handful whole leaves reserved for serving
- 4 pounds ground chicken
- 1 cup panko
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 + 1 tbsp fish sauce
- Kosher salt
Soup
- Reserved curry paste from the meatballs
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (from above)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
- Reserved cilantro leaves
- Steamed white rice
Preparation
Set some white rice to cook. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment or a silpat.
Meatballs
In a food processor, whiz the smashed ginger slices until finely chopped. Add the garlic and jalapeno and pulse to blend. Add the cilantro stems and pulse to blend. Split this curry paste into 1/3 and 2/3. To a large bowl, add the 2/3 portion of curry paste, 4 lbs ground chicken, 2 cup panko, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tbps vegtable oil, and 2 tsp salt. Use your hands or a fork to fully combine but do not overmix.
Form 1 inch meatballs onto the lined baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pans at 15 minutes. Take these 15 minutes to clean up/
Soup
After you rotate the meatballs, heat a deep pot (enamel dutch oven) to medium-high on the stovetop. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and the reserved 1/3 curry paste and saute until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, sugar and bring to a simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add any pan drippings from the meatballs when they come out.
Immediately before serving, after the heat is off, add 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp lime juice, and the 5oz baby spinich and mix.
Plating
Lade broth into the bowl (less than you think you need, maybe 2/3 cup per bowl). Sprinkle cilantro leaves on top.
With clean and wet hands, form rice balls about the size of a tennis ball. Place one in each bowl, sticking out of the soup like an island. Nestle 3-4 meatballs around the rice ball. Serve with a wedge of lime to be squeezed over the top.