Baked Meatballs in a delightful Orange Sauce

Chinese food is a favorite worldwide- probably one of the most popular takeaways would be Chinese food. But think! Is it worth eating all that oil?

What if I said that I could teach you to  make the same delicious meatballs without frying- at a fraction of the calories and much more healthy, and  flavorful. You won’t miss anything. You might just about lick your fingers that bit more.

They are even ready in about 30-35 minutes- about the same time it takes for the Food delivery guy to land up.

Best thing is that they can be made ahead and served up on rushed weeknights, for kids with pasta, for grownups with mash and can even grace themselves in an impromptu gravy effortlessly.

So lets don that apron and get into the kitchen and make those ultimate supremely delicious meatballs.

Here’s how.

Ingredients for the Meatballs

Mince ( Chicken/ Lamb/ Beef)- 500 gm

Onion, 1/4 cup- finely chopped

Coriander/ parsley, finely chopped- 1/4 cup

Spring Onions, finely chopped- 5

Breadcrumbs- 2 tbsp (optional)

Garlic, minced- 2 tbsp

Ginger, minced- 2 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp

Egg yolk- 1 ( for binding)

Ingredients for the Sauce

Oil- 2 tbsp- Sunflower/ Sesame oil

Garlic, minced- 1/2 tsp

Ginger, minced- 1/2 tsp

Red pepper flakes- 1/2 tsp

Orange marmalade- 3 tbsp

Soy sauce- 1 tsp

Fish sauce- 1 tsp

( Alternately, you could also use Hoisin sauce- 2 tbsp)

Salt – 1 pinch

Pepper 1/4 tsp

Method for the Meatballs

1. Mix the mince with the chopped vegetables and the spices.
2. Add the lightly beaten egg yolk
3. Shape into small round balls about 1 tbsp sized.
4. Oil a plate and place the meatballs on this
5. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to help them keep shape.
6. Preheat the oven at 200C 44F for 5 minutes.
7. Now pop them onto a lined oven tray or even into your muffin try to bake.
8. Brush the surface of the meatballs with oil.
9. Bake for 20 minutes till golden brown.
10. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce.
11. Remove from oven and keep aside.

Method for the Sauce

1. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce, except the oil in a small bowl.
2. Heat a pan, add the oil. When warmed up, add all the mixture, and stir well till everything mixes well.
3. Do keep the flame low, else the sugar in the marmalade will caramelise.

For serving:

1. Add the meatballs into the sauce and give a good toss and plate up.
2. Alternatively you could pour the sauce over the meatballs.

Notes:

After refrigerating, you could even freeze them by putting them away in a ziplock bag for future use for upto 5-6 months.
When you need to make them, just defrost them and carry on from step 6
These versatile meatballs can be made from Chicken, turkey, lamb or beef.

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Spicy Turkey Meatballs- Baked

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2 minute Sauce for IKEA meatballs