A few months ago, This Little Pig was invited over to a new friends for the first time. Literally 20 mins before it was heading out the door the saying “don’t ever show up empty handed” sashayed through this fine swine's brain. Sadly for this piglet, it was the first time it had thought of it – even though it had been home all day. It smacked its trotter to its forehead and wracked its brains. What to take over on such late notice with such a miserable fridge content?? What you see below is the creation forced from having no time to go to the shops and a penchant for anything with garlic, chilli and lime in it.
As This Little Pig’s new friends raved about theses fragrant chicken meatballs, this swine sat back smiled and in it’s head congratulated itself gently because indeed they were stand out delicious! Tender, moist morsels of herby delight they truly were the perfect starter and now This Little Pig is going to share its poorly planned but beautifully executed fragrant chicken meatballs for other disorganized swines or any other piglet who agree’s that it makes for a great pre-dinner nibble. Oink!
Ingredients:
400g x Chicken Mince
½ x Bunch of Chives
1 x Egg
1 x Mint Bunch
1 x Coriander Bunch
1 x Spring Onion Bunch
1 x Red Shallot
20g x Ginger
1 x Garlic Clove
1 x Red Chilli
1 x Tsp 5 Spice
1 x Tbs Soy
2 x Tbs Peanut Oil
Method:
- Skin and grate your ginger (20g) and garlic (1) with smallest side of your grater (I bet you’re thinking “oh just grate” haha see what we did there).
- Skin and finely dice your shallot, chives (1), ONLY ½ of your mint & ½ of your coriander.
- Chop off the roots and finely dice your spring onions (1/2 bunch).
- In a bowl combine your chicken mince, egg (1), 5 spice (1 Tsp), soy (1 Tbs), diced mint, coriander, red shallot, ginger, garlic and spring onion.
- Using clean trotters gently mix but at the same time don’t over mix these piglets. Now don’t panic if it’s pretty soggy, this firms up in the pan and makes it all the more moist and succulent once cooked.
- Dipping your hands into a bowl of warm water between each roll (this stops the mince sticking to your trotters) roll your herbed chicken mince into golf ball sized balls.
- Heat your large fry-pan with peanut oil (2 Tbs) and drop your balls in, in a clockwise direction starting at 12 (this way you will know which ones to turn first).
- Allow to cook until the white is all the way up the sides of the meatball and then turn over – this should result in a nice golden ball.
- Cook the other side until golden and just cooked through.
- Cut and squeeze your lime over the top and gently shake the pan so the balls become glazed with the lime.
- Rip the rest of leaves off the coriander and mint and scatter them artfully in a bowl. Carefully pop your meatballs onto the herbed bowl and finish with a few more herb leaves and a final squeeze of lime if you have it. Top with sliced chilli and away you go dear piglet. Go knock some piglets socks off with that! Oink!
