I’ve begun to grow tired of familiar flavor profiles and decided to look around for some inspiration. Fascinated by southeast asian and indian cuisines for a long time now, I find their spicy and flavor-forward profiles incredibly inviting. Lemongrass, to me, is an incredible edible the aroma of which is so fragrant that it instantly perks up anything you add it to. It just so happens that lemongrass goes great with ginger, garlic and chiles (which I did not use this time around). These aromatics lend themselves naturally to infusing their flavor into coconut milk and make the perfect sauce.
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 stalks of lemongrass (~6 inches each) battered and minced
2 inch knob of ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 lbs ground chicken
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 egg
15 oz coconut milk
1 tbsp fish oil
juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions:
Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, lemongrass, ginger and garlic to a large, 12 inch, stainless steel skillet and sauté on medium heat until the aromatics are translucent and tender or about 10 minutes. Meanwhile combine the ground chicken, salt, bread crumbs and egg in a bowl mixing lightly. Add half of the aromatics to the meat mixture and reserve the remaining half in a dish. Add the remaining 2 tbsp oil to the skillet. Form 12-15 meatballs and place in the heated oil in the skillet searing them until golden brown on all sides ~10 minutes. You may have to sear the meatballs in two batches to avoid crowding. Once all the meatballs are browned, add the remainder of the aromatics back into the pan followed by coconut milk. The milk will help deglaze the pan. Make sure to use a wooden spatula to scrape up all the bits of browned chicken off. Stir in the fish sauce and lime juice to the pan. Return the meatballs to the pan, cover and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with vermicelli rice noodles and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!
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