Vietnamese-Inspired Lamb Meatballs (Recipe)

My favorite types of recipes are forgiving and also versatile. A little trick I like to do to help keep things more interesting and also to help stretch a bit of meat is to use it in two or more ways. I've been experimenting with ground meats lately and I have a couple great weeknight go-to meal ideas that can span two nights or more, depending on how much ground meat you have. 

This particular recipe uses the same ground meat mixture (in this case, lamb) cooked in two different ways. 

Here's what you'll need:
1 lb. ground lamb (pork, chicken or beef would also work)
3 loose tbsp. starch (corn, potato, tapioca: whatever you have on hand will work)
3 loose tbsp. dark or light brown sugar, plus additional 1 tbsp set aside for cooking
2 tbsp. soy sauce, plus additional 1 tbsp set aside for cooking
2 tbsp. fish sauce (omit if you don't like or don't have it)
1 flat tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/3 loose cup (approximate, more or less would work) finely chopped fresh herbs (any one or a combo of the following will work: mint, green onion, parsley, cilantro, thai basil) In my current situation, I used a combo of green onion and parsley.
1 medium onion, medium diced (set aside in a container in the fridge; this will be used when it's time to cook)
1 handful or so of any vegetable you have on hand (set aside in fridge; this will also be used when it's time to cook)

Here's what you'll do:
- Add everything, except onion and vegetables, into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Mix with your hand until very well mixed and the meat is a bit sticky.
- Cover mixture and let rest in the fridge for two hours, or up to overnight.
- A few hours later, or next day, form meat mixture into small, quarter-sized balls.
- Feel free to use half the meatballs for one day, and the other half the next day. These will keep in the fridge in a raw state for up to three days. The salt and sugar has cured the meat to keep it moist and fresh.

Cooking method 1: This is probably the easiest way to do it, which is to boil the meatballs.
- Add half the balls into a large enough pot, add half the chopped onion and add water, or stock (if available), until covered about one inch.
- Put the pot over high heat until the water boils, then lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 8 minutes, gently stirring occasionally so the meatballs don't stick together.
- In a separate pot, cook (per package instructions) thin rice noodles and add them to 1 or 2 serving bowls (half the meatballs should serve 2 people or 1 very hungry person).
- Once the meatballs are cooked (the cooking time is forgiving; more than 8 minutes won't ruin them), you can add sugar snap peas or any other vegetable and cook for 2 minutes, or until desired tenderness.
- Then into the water (now a broth) add the 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. sugar and salt to taste as well as a splash of fish sauce, if desired. Stir for 1 minute to dissolve the seasonings.
- Ladle meatballs, vegetables and soup over the rice noodles. Top with fresh tomatoes if available, fresh herbs (pictured below is cilantro and parsley) and enjoy!

Cooking method 2: This method requires a little more babysitting, but is a little bit faster. Have two servings of cooked rice ready and waiting.
- Add two tsp. of vegetable oil to an 8-inch frying pan, cast iron skillet or any pan large enough to hold all the meatballs in one layer. Turn the heat on to medium high.
- When the oil begins to shimmer, add the remaining half of the meatballs to the pan. Give the meatballs a slight press with the back of a silicone spatula or wooden spoon so they don't roll around and there is more meatball surface touching the pan.

- Cook on one side for 3 minutes without touching them. 
- Turn the meatballs over to the opposite side and cook an additional 3 minutes. If the meatballs are a bit too brown for your taste, lower the heat to medium. If you would like the meatballs cooked a bit more, add a cover to the pan.
- After 3 minutes, or until your desired doneness, remove the meatballs from the pan and let them rest on a plate or in a bowl. 
- Keep the same pan on medium heat, do not wipe out the pan, and add the other half onion and any other vegetable you like or have on hand. (The picture below includes onion, yellow squash and watermelon radish.
- Sauté the vegetables until your desired tenderness, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate any meatball juice and bits. If the pan looks a bit too dry, add a splash of water to help loosen up the bits. Add a sprinkle of salt to taste and give everything a good mix. 
- Spoon the vegetables and meatballs over cooked rice, plus any juice left in the pan, toss in some chopped fresh tomatoes, a sprinkle of cilantro and enjoy!