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The moist and juicy Mongolian meatballs are wrapped in a sticky glaze. They taste like sweet and spicy bites that you would gobble one after another. And you can get this dinner on plate within 40 mins.
These are super easy to make and absolutely delicious Mongolian beef meatballs. These are meatball version of very popular Mongolian beef that originated in Taiwan. Now, it widely popular in Chinese-American dish served in all over US.
Why make this recipe?
- This is easiest of all meatball recipes.
- The breadcrumbs and egg in the meatballs makes it a fool-proof recipe of meatballs which are soft and juicy.
- The sticky glaze comes together quickly with sweet and savory flavors.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Here is the list of ingredients required to make mongolian beef meatballs.
- Ground beef: Use 20% fat ground beef for moist meatballs.
- Breadcrumb: You can use panko or any fresh breadcrumbs. They help with binding of meatballs.
- Egg
- Ginger and Garlic: Freshly minced tastes best.
- Soy sauce: Opt for low sodium if available.
- Spices: I used pepper, chili flakes and siracha sauce to spice the recipe. Consider adjusting spices in the recipe if you can't handle heat.
- Hoisin sauce: You substitute this sauce with dark soy sauce. Use just 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce as it is very high sodium.
- Brown sugar
- Cornflour or cornstarch
- Green onions
- Sesame seeds
How to make it?
So are you ready to enjoy this quick meal? Let's begin making mongolian meatballs.
- Take all ingredients for meatballs in a large bowl.
- Mix well, you might want to use your hands here and knead the mince like a dough until just combined.
- Roll out firm 1 inch balls from the mince and store in the fridge until needed or for 10 minutes to firm up. (I recommend making the sauce first and fry ball after it. Roll the fried hot meatball in glaze and serve immediately for juiciest bite.)
- Heat oil in a wok or a large skillet and deep fry meatballs on medium-high heat until golden. ( I've tried shallow frying too. For shallow frying use non-stick pan and fry with 1 tablespoon oil. If there any burnt bits wipe off the pan with tissue before frying next batch. Find baking instructions below. )
- So you can see the nice golden color of the meatballs. Gather dried meatballs on a kitchen towel absorb excess oil.
- Saute garlic in oil for a few seconds and then add all the ingredients of the Mongolian sauce.
- Let them simmer for a minute then add cornflour slurry to thicken the sauce. Cook sauce for 1 minute until it thickens and turns translucent.
- Now, add meatball, green onion, and red chili flakes. You may skip the red chilli as sriracha will make the sauce a little spicy. So taste test first and then add chilli flakes only if needed. Let the meatballs get heated thoroughly. Garnish with toasted sesame and serve.
Expert Tips
- Just remember to adjust heat in the recipe to your taste by skipping or adding more red pepper flakes.
- If you like extra gravy, double the ingredient for gravy and make more sauce. Do not water down as that will spoil the sauce. But I recommend sticking to dry version. It just tastes so much better.
Serving Suggestions
These mongolian meatballs will be gone before you could think about what to eat with it. I could snack on them as soon as they are rolled in the glaze.
- They pair well with garlic rice and make a perfect weekend night dinner.
- Serve it as a side with stir-fried noodles.
- If you roll them into large balls and insert a toothpick. These cuties will become a fancy glazed appetizer.
Make Ahead Tips
- Mongolian meatballs are freezer friendly too. Roll seasoned mince into meatballs, keep them apart in a tray and freeze for 2-3 hours until hards.
- Then throw them in a freezer bag and store them for up to 2 months. To assemble just thaw them for 15 minutes and deep fry them.
- The sauce is so easy you can make it at the last moment. But if you prefer the to make it ahead just follow instructions in the recipe card to make the sauce.
- Then let the sauce cool completely and store in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat the sauce before throwing fried meatballs in it and glaze.
- You can freeze the glazed meatballs after cooking completely but frying just before serving keeps the meatballs super moist and fresh.
Recipe Faqs
Yes! That's an absolutely healthy way to enjoy this recipe. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F on the middle shelf for 15 minutes until color changes and the meatballs firm up. Then glaze in the sauce and serve.
Hoisin sauce is made from soy beans paste and is easily available on most stores. If you can’t find it, try this homemade hoisin sauce recipe that is made with my homemade peanut butter. If you do not have hoisin sauce, you can use dark soy sauce sauce too.
Stir-fry any or all of these veggies until soft then glaze it along with the meatballs and serve. Broccoli, scallion or onion slices, bell peppers, and green chilies.
We are using egg and breadcrumbs in this recipe, and both are binding agents that also keep the meatballs soft and juicy. It is very unlikely that your meatballs would break. If they do add more breadcrumbs. Click here to learn about how to buy mincemeat.
Hungry For more recipes? Check these!
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📖 Recipe
Mongolian Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
For Meatball
- 500 gram ground beef , (1.1 pounds) 20% Fat.
- ⅓ cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Oil, to fry
For Mongolian sauce
- 1 tablespoon oil, preferably sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, Find my recipe here.
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce , or to taste
- ½ tablespoon minced ginger
Other
- 1 tablespoon cornflour, dissolved in ¼ cup water
- 1 large stalk green onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes, optional for extra spicy sauce
- ½ tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
For Meatballs
- Mix all ingredients for meatballs in a bowl. Knead it like a dough for few seconds until all ingredients are well combined.
- Roll out 1 inch balls from the seasoned mince and store in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Heat oil in a wok and deep fry meatballs on medium-high heat until golden. Remove meatballs on a kitchen towel and set aside.
For Mongolian Sauce
- While the meatball rest in the fridge, saute garlic in oil and then add all the ingredients of the Mongolian sauce.
- Let the sauce simmer for a minute then add cornflour slurry. Cook sauce for 1 minute until it thickens and turns translucent.
- Now, add the fried meatball, green onion, and red chili flakes. Let the meatballs get heated thoroughly. Garnish with toasted sesame and serve.
Notes
- Spices: I used pepper, chili flakes and siracha sauce to spice the recipe. Consider adjusting spices in the recipe if you can't handle heat.
- Hoisin sauce: You substitute this sauce with dark soy sauce. Use just 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce as it is very high sodium.
- If you like extra gravy, double the ingredient for gravy and make more sauce. Do not water down as that will spoil the sauce. But I recommend sticking to dry version. It just tastes so much better.
- You can freeze the glazed meatballs after cooking completely but frying just before serving keeps the meatballs super moist and fresh.
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Sarah says
I really like this recipe, thank you! I I decided to make this on the oven with the sauce on and the family Eats it up!
Mariam Sodawater says
Hey, thanks for the tip on making meatballs in the oven. I'm so glad you liked it. I appreciate for feedback and comment.
Susan Marling says
Question: Is mince meat the same as ground beef? This recipe looks so good!
Mariam Sodawater says
Yes, both are same thing. This is a very simple and delicious recipe. Do give it a try.