By crikey it feels like a while since I’ve had a break – its been a long time coming. The end of the year was a flurry of activity, finishing off the February issue of Dish, catering for a 100 people and being on camera for the TVNZ Breakfast Christmas show with my hardworking team, followed by hosting Christmas brunch at mine on the day. Meanwhile darling Hoob has been travelling for 6 weeks through Thailand, followed by hostel-hopping through Vienna, Budapest, Munich and Prague en route to Berlin for NYE. Gorgeous Pog has been hanging out in Melbourne with sweet Billy, hosting festive drinks and Christmas lunch with his beau. I’ve missed them both terribly, my first Christmas without the man/boys since they were born, but PD has been at my side, cheering me up with daily swims, many, many crosswords, delicious food and evening movies and whiskies. Life is good.
And so, after many servings of festive fare, we were hankering for something different – and these spicy chicken meatballs, slathered in rich satay sauce were just what the doctor ordered. Simple to make, bloody delicious (and filling), they can be prepped in advance, and make great left-overs too. The squeeze of lime at the end is essential to cut through the richness, as is plenty of herbage through the noodles.
Chicken satay meatballs:
1 large egg
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 thumb fresh ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
600 grams boneless, skin-off chicken thighs, roughly chopped
½ packed cup coriander, roughly chopped
For the meatballs, whisk the egg, soy, and sesame together in a large bowl then stir in the chilli flakes and breadcrumbs. Whiz the ginger, garlic, chicken and coriander in a food processor until well chopped and almost smooth. Add to the crumb mixture and mix until well combined. The mixture will be quite soft. Scoop out spoonfuls and form into meatballs. Lightly wet your hands first and you should get 16.
Satay Sauce:
1 teaspoon each ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and hot curry powder
¼ -1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
400ml tin coconut milk
½ cup chicken stock
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons kecap manis
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
finely grated zest 1 large lime
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 stalk lemongrass, lightly bruised with a rolling pin
fresh coriander to garnish
2 limes, quartered to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
Combine everything except the lemongrass in a large, deep frying pan and bring to the boil, crushing the peanut butter with a fork to amalgamate. Add the meatballs to the pan and turn to coat in the sauce. Nestle in the lemongrass. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Serve topped with coriander and a good squeeze of lime juice, with freshly cooked noodles on the side.
Sesame noodles:
300g wheat, soba or udon noodles
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ cup chopped coriander
½ cup chopped spring onions
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions then drain and toss through the remaining ingredients.
Serves 3-4
