Chicken Meatball and Veggie Bowl with Hoisin Sauce

Jan 4

What does this food offer in terms of nutrients and physical nourishment?
Protein (chicken, sesame seeds)
Carbohydrates (veggies, rice, sugar in sauce)
Fat (chicken, sesame oil)
Fiber (veggies, rice)
Other (fresh veggies offer a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients as well as water)

What does this food offer in terms of mental satisfaction through flavor, texture, and experience?
Fresh
Light
Sweet
Savory/umami
Acidic
Crunchy
Chunky
Firm
Sticky

I feel like I say this a lot here, but this is by far one of my favorite recipes to date! I really love a variety of Asian cuisines because of their rich flavors and unique use of vegetables. This recipe is a Pan-Asian fusion pairing sweet and salty Chinese Hoisin sauce with a slaw of raw carrots, cilantro, and cucumber inspired by Vietnamese Bahn mi.

Hoisin sauce originates in Cantonese cooking as a glaze for meats, an addition to stir fries, or as a dipping sauce for a variety of foods. It’s dark and thick and both sweet and salty with just a hint of spice, often referred to as Chinese barbecue sauce. In this recipe, it lends itself as a glaze for the chicken meatballs and is the central flavor of the dish.

This recipe was originally inspired by a delicious Banh mi sandwich that I had from a local restaurant, Lardo. It’s truly sensational and my favorite part is the fresh veggies they add to the sandwich to balance the richness of the meat. My slaw is my attempt at mirroring that magic — a combination of shredded carrots, sliced cucumber, fresh cilantro, rice wine vinegar, and a punch of tartness from sliced green apples.

You’ll notice that I use store-bought Hoisin in this recipe — I chose to do this for a few reasons. One, I create 100% of my own recipes — top to bottom — and while it’s pretty easy for me to create a teriyaki sauce from palate and knowledge of ingredients, hoisin is another story. I’m certainly not interested in ripping off someone’s recipe online just so I can say I created the sauce from scratch. And I am not Chinese and therefore cannot create a “spin” on something that isn’t from my own culture. However, I do believe in honoring tradition and ingredients, and so I encourage you to make your own hoisin sauce, if you’d like. I just won’t be providing one for you to use.

I love being inspired by good food and get excited over the challenge of recreating something based on taste alone but it’s also important to me to be conscious of cultural boundaries. There is certainly a line between paying homage to a delicious sandwich and creating a whitewashed spin on a traditional sauce. I encourage you to think deeply about the foods you eat and acknowledge the history and tradition that brought that food to your plate.

Note: This meal makes a great meal prep option! Store slaw, rice, and meatballs separately in airtight containers in the fridge. If possible, reheat rice and meatballs separately to ensure everything reaches the ideal temperature and doesn’t dry out before serving.

Allergens: Soy, sesame, wheat/gluten

Servings: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white rice

1 cup water

1 tsp sesame oil (or oil/butter of choice to finish the rice)

1/2-3/4 cup hoisin sauce for coating (I use the Sky Valley brand found at Whole Foods and online)

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

Meatballs:

1 lb ground chicken

1 egg

1/2 cup unseasoned panko breadcrumb (If you’re GF, I like the Ian’s brand, also found at Whole Foods)

1/4 cup diced green onion

Salt and pepper to taste (I go very light on this because the sauce is quite flavorful and salty on its own)

1 tsp avocado oil

Slaw:

1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into match sticks

1 small green apple, cut into match sticks

1 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (including stems - this is the most flavorful part of the herb!)

~2 tbsp chopped green onion (green top part only)

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or substitute juice from 1 lime)

Optional garnish:

Handful of fresh cilantro leaves

Handful of diced green onion tops

Sprinkle of sesame seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Use avocado oil to lightly grease a large baking sheet.
In a medium sauce pot, combine rice with water. Bring to boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender and water is completely absorbed.
In a large mixing bowl, combine meatball ingredients using a rubber spatula or large fork.
Portion out about 20 1.5-2” round meatballs.*
Arrange meatballs on the baking sheet about 1.5-2” apart to ensure even cooking. Bake for 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165F, flipping halfway through.
Remove rice from heat, mix in oil or butter. Leave covered and let sit to finish fluffing.
In a large mixing bowl, add hoisin sauce, sesame seeds, and meatballs. Toss gently until evenly coated.
In a small mixing bowl, combine slaw ingredients. Toss gently with rice wine vinegar or lime juice to finish.
In a serving dish, plate rice on bottom, followed by a generous scoop of slaw, and finished with desired amount of meatballs. Top with garnish, and an extra drizzle of hoisin sauce, and enjoy!

Tip: I usually “cut” the meat into 4 sections, then again in half, and again until I’m able to evenly portion meatballs. This keeps them roughly the same size and ensures you wont have too small of an amount of meat left for your last ball. I also use a spoon to help me scoop.