Beef-balls and Broccoli | Sybaritica

I picked up some ground beef with a view to making burgers but, when the time came, I decided I wanted something a bit more adventurous. This vaguely Chinese dish is what I came up with…

The Ingredients

• lean Ground Beef;
• 1 ½ cups broccoli florets, blanched;
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped;
• 2 Black Chinese Mushrooms, reconstituted and finely chopped;
• 1 tbsp. Garlic Paste;
• 1 tsp. each Salt and Pepper;
• 1 tbsp. Sugar;
• ¾ cup Chicken Stock (or use the mushroom soaking liquid);
• ¼ cup Shaoxing Wine;
• 3 tbsp. Hoisin Sauce;
• 1 tbsp. Cornstarch, mixed to a slurry in a little water.

Blend the meat with the carrot, mushroom, garlic paste, the sugar and the salt and pepper. Mix well and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes.

Mix together the stock, wine, Hoisin Sauce and the cornstarch mixture and set it aside to use as the finishing sauce later.

Make 16 balls out of the meat mixture and place these in a pan with about a half cup of water. Now bake the balls at 325 degrees for about 25 – 30 minutes. They should be cooked through but still juicy. You can stop here, if you like, but if you store the balls in the fridge, allow them to come back to room temperature before proceeding.

Brown the balls in a little oil over moderately high heat.

Finally, add in the broccoli and toss until the florets are heated through. Add the sauce mix and as soon as it thickens, plate and serve.

Notes

This was very tasty and I got two meals for myself out of it along with some noodles. The texture is quite chunky with the carrot and mushroom and you could, if you prefer a smoother, more homogenous result, process the meatball mixture in a food processor. I liked it this way, though…

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