Kung Pao Chicken Meatballs

I love making healthy-fied version of Asian/Chinese food at home. And a Kung Pao dish is one of my all time favourite Chinese dish. I love the spiciness of the Sichuan pepper as well as the sweet and slightly sourish taste this dish has. Instead of making my weekly Kung Pao tofu dish, I decided to make Kung Pao Chicken Meatballs for dinner tonight. And it turned out delicious 😋 So, I would like to share my version of Kung Pao Chicken Meatballs with you 😊

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have. As always, please let me know what you think of this recipe. If you like what you see on this blog, you can follow me on my blog, Facebook or Instagram for some food porn. Also, if you do recreate this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @subz_foodie 🙂

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

500g chicken mince;
1 zucchini, shredded & excess water squeezed out;
2 tsp fresh garlic, grated;
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated;
1 fresh red chilli or to your spiciness level, sliced;
1 tsp San Elk veggie stock or salt to taste; and
1 tsp sesame seeds.

For the Kung Pao dish

1/2 tbsp sesame or olive oil;
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns;
3 dried chilli, sliced (or less if you prefer less spice);
1 large brown onions, sliced;
2 carrots, julienned;
200g green beans, sliced;
1/2 bunch fresh coriander, sliced;
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar;
3 tbsp kecap manis (Sweet soy);
3 tbsp soy sauce; and
3 tbsp cashews or roasted peanuts.

Method

For the chicken meatballs

In a bowl, place all the meatball ingredients and mix until well combined;

Place the meatballs on the greased tray if you are baking them and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked;

If using an Airfryer, place the meatballs in the Airfryer and cook at 170 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes. You will have to grease the Airfryer so that the meatballs don’t get stuck to the rack in the Airfryer. You will also have to Airfry the meatballs in two lots if you have don’t have the larger Airfryer.

For the Kung Pao dish

Heat a wok on a medium high heat and once the wok is hot, out in the sesame/olive oil. Once the oil is hot, throw in the Sichuan peppercorns, dried red chillies and sliced brown onions and fry until fragrant and the onions are golden brown. If the onions start to stick on the wok, add some water;

Add the sliced green beans and carrots and stir fry until the carrots are al dente;
Then, add the cooked meatballs and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and kecap manis and stir fry until well combined and until the sauce becomes slightly sticky;
Turn the heat off and add the chopped fresh coriander and cashews or roasted peanuts to the wok and stir until well combined; and
Your Kung Pao Tofu is now ready to be served. Enjoy your Kung Pao Tofu with quinoa or brown rice.