| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 18 meatballs |
Ingredients
- 1 scallion, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons peeled, chopped fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 1/2 pound ground pork (preferably pork butt)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry sherry or vermouth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons hot Asian chili sauce (Sriracha)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 3-ounce package Oriental-flavor ramen noodles, with seasoning packet
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Salt
- Sweet chili sauce, for dipping
Instructions
- Pulse the scallion, ginger and cilantro in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the pork, sherry, sesame oil, hot chili sauce, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the egg and half (1 1/4 teaspoons) of the ramen seasoning; process until smooth. Refrigerate the mixture for 15 minutes.
- Heat 4 inches of vegetable oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees.
- Soak the ramen noodles in a bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes, flipping once; they should be pliable enough to pull apart without breaking. Drain well and pat dry. Carefully pull the strands apart; cover with plastic wrap.
- With dampened hands, shape 1 scant tablespoon of the pork mixture into a ball. Wrap and press some noodles around the ball, letting a bit of meat show through. Repeat with the remaining meat and noodles.
- Fry the meatballs in the hot oil in batches, adjusting the heat as needed, until the noodles are crisp and golden brown and the meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain; season with salt. Serve with sweet chili sauce for dipping.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 18 servings |
| Calories | 93 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 0 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 19 mg |
| Sodium | 105 mg |
Reviews
Porcupine meatballs are supposed to have meat and rice
Porqupine meatballs is supposed to be meat and rice, isn’t it?
3 out of 4 family members liked it, with 2 of them snarfing the left overs. I think I would like to try another batch without the sherry. But they were fun to make and it took a round to pinpoint how long to cook to get them done and not have pink inside VS a dry little crispy critter. But we got it. Glad I did a double batch first time. Really, there was none left over.