Meatballs are a favourite around the world
Meatballs — and ‘unmeatballs’ — are loved in countries around the world
Meatballs are one of those tasty items that can be found almost everywhere in the world. There are Middle Eastern kofta, Dutch meatballs, Chinese “lion’s head” that resemble the heads of stone guardian lions, Russian kotleti, Japanese chicken tsukune, Italian meatballs, ablondigas from the Latin and Philippine worlds, and Hong Kong fish and meat balls. I love them all.
Meatballs have a specific architecture. Most western recipes contain bread or breadcrumbs, sometimes soaked in liquid (milk is often favoured).
Using 2 cups (500 mL) of crustless bread cubes softened in 1/2 cup (125 mL) liquid and 2 lbs (907 g ) of ground meat will yield very tender meatballs.
Some think using a lot of bread is “cheap” and it may originally have been a way to stretch a small amount of meat — but the proof is in the eating. You can, of course, use less, depending on the texture you like.
Mixing gently and thoroughly is another way to keep them tender. I like to use my stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed, turning it on and off to get everything just holding together.
This goes out the window if you’re making Asian-style meat or fish balls for soups. The meat is kept icy cold and processed to a paste to achieve the bouncy and crunchy texture with the aid of a starch and alkaline water.
The Japanese chicken meatball recipe is a hybrid; it’s mixed until sticky to bind the protein.
With eggs, yolks alone create the best texture and two yolks can be subbed for each egg. If you don’t want to have whites lingering in your fridge, use whole eggs.
To bake, broil or fry? I opt to bake because it’s the least messy way to brown them.
And for simmering in sauce, they just have to be cooked through. Simmering for a long period of time won’t make them any better.
And lastly, use an ice-cream scoop for consistent sizing. I consider scoops to be a kitchen essential.
For breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, made from game, meat, pulses, vegetables, fish and fowl, there are meatballs — or “unmeatballs” — for all. Meatballs are the great equalizer.