It was a lazy day at Feral Cooks Headquarters, and I didn’t really feel like doing too much for dinner. Overpriced takeout would ultimately be disappointing, and frozen pizza seemed too boring. Then it hit me: thaw out some ground pork and make meatballs out of it.
It worked! The meat was flavorful, and the panko crisped up really well. This dish isn’t the height of culinary excellence, but it’s easy to make and tastes good.
There are tons of substitutions you could do with the spices. Just use what works for you. My version is more Thai style.
What you need
- 1 lb ground pork, thawed, if it was frozen
- 1t garlic powder
- 2t onion powder
- 1t seasoned salt
- 1.5t chili crisp
- 1T fish sauce (or soy sauce, oyster sauce, spring roll sauce, hoisin sauce, etc.)
- About 1 cup panko
What to do
Measure all of the ingredients. Put on nitrile gloves and mix the spices and fish sauce with the ground pork, distributing them within the pork. Don’t over-mix, though, or the meatballs will be tough.
With your fingers, scoop up enough of the pork mixture to make a ball about 1.5 – 2 inches across. Roll it into a ball and put it onto a plate. Repeat until all the pork is rolled into balls.
Lay some foil into a sheet pan and spray it with cooking spray. If using an oven to cook, heat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Put the panko into a shallow bowl and roll each meatball into the panko, gently pushing as you roll so the panko adheres to the meat. Set the rolled meatballs onto the sheet pan.
When your oven reaches temperature, cook the meatballs for 15 – 20 minutes, until they reach 165 degrees inside. Alternatively, cook in an air fryer at 350 degrees for about 16 minutes.
Serve hot or warm with your favorite dipping sauce.
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