Feral Cooks

During a discussion with a friend about what to do with an excess of makrut lime leaves besides giving more of them away, he sent me this recipe that he found on this really weird Australian cooking site. I don’t know if the bloggers came up with the recipe or if came from somewhere else, but it’s quite good.

Though they’re deep-fried, it’s a very easy recipe that goes from start to finish in about 30 minutes or less. I’m definitely going to make them again, but next time, I may try baking them in the oven at about 500 degrees. That may be a good alternative to deep-frying.

If you don’t have makrut lime leaves available, some finely cut lemongrass may work as a good alternative.

What you’ll need:

• vegetable oil for deep-frying
• Rice flour for dusting (I think corn or potato starch would work, too. We just happened to have rice flour at home.)
• 1 lb. ground chicken (I think pork would work equally well)
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 cup (loosely packed) cilantro, finely chopped
• 6 makrut lime leaves, finely shredded
• *0.33 cups fish sauce
• *0.33 cups lime juice

* This is far far too much liquid. I used 2T of each, and it was nearly too much.

What to do:

Heat oil in a deep-fryer or deep-sided frying pan to 350°F. 

Place the rice flour (or whatever) in a shallow bowl, and set it aside. 

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Don’t be afraid to use your hands!

Divide the meat mixture into ping-pong-size balls, then roll each in the rice flour to coat them.

Cook the balls in batches of 5 or 6, being careful of splashing or sputtering oil. Cook each batch for about 3.5 or so minutes. When done, remove from oil and set on a rack or paper towel.

Salt to taste and serve with your preferred Asian condiment. We used Thai spring-roll sauce, which was perfect.