Tamarind Spiced Meatballs

Tamarind Spiced Meatballs

December 2018, my husband I went to Cambodia to learn more firsthand history about the tragic time under the Khmer Rouge. Angkor Wat was also a reason we went. The food - meh - sure it might be good, but that wasn’t why Cambodia was on my bucket list. I was so wrong! While moved by all the reasons I went, I have spent the months since I returned looking for Khmer food! No luck - not even in Tokyo! So I’ve ordered cookbooks and ingredients liked dried lemon grass and prahok paste online to recreate the fantastic flavors of Cambodia, but it’s not come together as I wished until our base commissary started to carry Zas seasoning. I was pushing the cart, looking for who knows what - and a NEW display caught my eye. (New items in the commissary are flashy like gold!) I bought one and thought what could I make?

Naturally with a seasoning blend, you must try it - dip a little spoonful out and taste it on your tongue. But I found myself tasting again. And again. And again. The flavors danced on my tongue the way our meals in Siem Reap did - with a different tantalized taste bud wherever the spice hit. So my mind started turning - what could I make???

Well, my middle school 8th grade team have a lunch prep rotation and I often make meatballs - prepare ahead and warm in the crockpot. So off I concocted - tamarind meatballs.

Now, keep in mind - I’m the ELA teacher and math is not my forte, which also seeps into my cooking skills. I literally don’t measure when I cook - so this is a best guess.


Ingredients:

ground chicken, pork & beef (local market)
Worcestershire (¼ C or more)
Celery - one large Japanese stalk - finely diced and sautéed till translucent but still crunchy (5 minutes in evoo)
Bunch coriander/cilantro finely chopped - stalks and leaves
Panko bread crumbs (eyeball it based on how much meat purchased)
Garlic - heaping spoonful
Chives
Splash lime
Egg
A big palmful of Zas - with more to add to each meatball

Heat a skillet with EVOO and form your test meatball. Brown for about 7 minutes then transfer to a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 15 minutes (depending on size of meatball).

Adjust seasoning - to taste.

When I am ready to make the bunch of meatballs, I pour the tamarind into a bowl so I can ensure each meatball gets its own zest of flavoring.

Brown and bake and serve - or store in the refrigerator and warm in the crockpot the following day.