Thai Sesame Meatballs with Ground Turkey and Spicy Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

These deceptively decadent meatballs pack rich, bold flavor without the heaviness of typical beef meatballs with sauce. Ground turkey thigh meat is lean and juicy, and panko breadcrumbs are lighter and less dense than fresh, “wet” breadcrumbs.

For this recipe, I used pure sesame paste as a binder in place of egg. The paste not only helps hold the meat mixture together, but also adds the savory, nutty taste of sesame.

A simple side dish of stir-fried baby bok choy, mung bean sprouts, and peanuts cooked quickly in very little oil is a light, fresh accompaniment for the flavor-packed meatballs and sauce. The key is to keep the vegetables crunchy: high temperature, short time, done.

Note: The meatball mixture can be made one day ahead and refrigerated, covered, overnight. Form the meatballs and bring to room temperature before baking.   

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Meatballs and Sauce

• 1 lb ground turkey thigh
• 1/3 cup panko, or other fine, dry breadcrumbs
• 3 small garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided
• 2 Thai chiles, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp pure sesame paste
• 3 tsp finely chopped ginger, divided
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp peanut oil

Ground Turkey Thigh 

Meatball Ingrdients

For the Vegetables

• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 4 stalks baby bok choy, coarsely chopped, leaves included
• 6 oz mung bean sprouts
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup shelled peanuts (salted or unsalted)

Mung Bean Sprouts and Baby Bok Choy 

Bok Choy Ready to Stir-Fry

Preparation

For the Meatballs and Sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine the ground turkey, panko, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, chiles, cilantro, sesame paste, 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger, and brown sugar in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix gently with your fingers and form into 12 balls (about 1-1/4 inch in diameter).

Meatball Mixture 

Meatballs Ready to Bake

1. Place the meatballs on the pan and bake until browned and cooked through, about 24 minutes, turning once halfway through.

Meatballs after 12 Minutes 

Baked Meatballs

1. Meanwhile, combine the honey, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, sambal oelek, and sesame oil in a bowl, stirring until the honey dissolves.
2. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add the peanut oil. Add the remaining finely chopped garlic clove and remaining 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger. Sauté 2 minutes.
3. Add the honey mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. (Reheat gently over low heat if not using right away.)

Sweet and Sour Sauce Beginning to Cook

Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce

To serve, mound the stir-fried vegetable mixture (recipe follows) in the middle of 4 shallow bowls. Set 3 meatballs on top of each and drizzle the sweet and sour sauce over all. Serve right away.

For the Vegetables

1. Heat a wok over high heat and add the peanut oil. Allow the oil to heat 15 seconds.
2. Add the bok choy and bean sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry 3 minutes. Add the peanuts and toss with the vegetables. Serve right away.

Bok Choy and Bean Sprouts Beginning to Cook

Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Bean Sprouts with Peanuts