With all of my exciting visits to my local Asian Market lately, I have not yet attempted an Asian-inspired dish...until now. This dish started as a complete experiment. I had a hodge podge of ingredients (a package of meatless ground “meat”, a bag of coleslaw mix & a kitchen full of condiments). I put my faith in the creative cooking gods and it turned out to be pretty delicious. You’ve got garlic. You’ve got ginger. You’ve got Hoisin Sauce. You’ve got BBQ sauce. What’s not to love?!

This dish can be served as an appetizer or as a meal with rice or ramen. The water chestnuts give it a little crunch, the coleslaw keeps the meatless meat from drying out. And that sauce? MMMM! That’s all I need to say about that!

Notes & Substitutions:

Equipment: After trying a few different cooking methods, I found that searing on my cast iron skillet, then finishing in my Ninja on the air fryer setting worked the best. If you don’t have a cast iron, you may need to use a non-stick pan or a well greased uncoated pan. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can sea pan, then finish them off by baking in the oven. I also like to use a mortar and pestle when making garlic paste. If you don’t have one, you can use the side of your knife.
Meatless Farm Co. Meat Free Ground: This was my first time trying this meatless beef product. At first glance, it looks more like ground turkey rather than beef. I found this product to have a milder flavor & was much dryer compared to Beyond Beef. For this recipe (and any recipe where I would be adding in my own seasoning), I actually preferred using the Meatless Farm Co. over Beyond Beef. Especially since I added chopped water chestnuts & cabbage, which will add moisture as the mixture cooks through.
Salt: Before you reach for your salt grinder, give your mixture a little taste. Between the tamari, hoisin sauce, miso paste & mushroom seasoning, I found I did not need to add any additional salt.
Mushroom Seasoning: You can find mushroom seasoning at your local asian market or on Amazon. If you can’t find it, buy a few bags of different kinds of dried mushrooms & blend dry, until it becomes a powder. Store in a freezer bag or jar. It won’t be exactly the same, but it will give that earthy, meaty flavor that mushroom seasoning adds. That is also a good hack if you are trying to minimize the amount of salt in your dish. You can either cut the mushroom seasoning in half & replace with your mushroom powder or replace the mushroom powder all together. This is also a great staple to have on hand when making gravy, soups or to make your meat replacements even meatier.

Ingredients: See ‘A Pinch, A Dash & A Smidge’ for measuring references.

For the meatballs:

1 pkg Meatless Farm Co. Meat Free Ground (14.1 oz)
A few splashes of Tamari
A dollop of Hoisin Sauce
A few dashes of Garlic powder
A few dashes of Onion powder
A small baby splash of Liquid smoke (no more than about 2 teaspoons or your meatballs may taste like a campfire)
A dollop of Ginger paste
A dollop of Miso paste
A tad of Sesame oil
A tad of Chili oil
A can of water chestnuts (drained & roughly chopped)
4-5 hefty handfuls coleslaw mix (chopped into small pieces. Approximately 1:1 ratio of meat to a handful of coleslaw)
Tad of green onion (sliced)
A couple tads of Mushroom seasoning

For the sauce:

A dollop of BBQ Sauce
3 dollops Hoisin Sauce
A dollop of Garlic paste
A tad Sesame oil
A tad Chili oil

Toppings:

A couple pinches of white sesame seeds
A couple pinches of black sesame seeds
Sliced green onions

Instructions:

In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients for the meatballs and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and let chill in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes.
While the meatball mix is chilling, roughly chop the garlic, add a pinch of salt and smash in a mortar and pestle until it resembles a paste. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, see the equipment section of the notes & substitutions for instructions on how to make it with your knife.
Add your garlic paste, along with the other ingredients for the sauce into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Pull out your chilled meat mixture and form into about 2”-3” balls. Place in a container, cover and let the balls chill back in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes.
Heat your cast iron skillet on medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add in a drizzle or spritz of oil.
Sear the meatballs in the skillet or pan until they begin to brown on all sides. Take care when handling & flipping meatballs so they don’t fall apart.
Once all meatballs are seared, move them to the air fryer on 390 degrees for 8 minutes. If you don’t have an air fryer, bake them in the oven. It might just take a little longer to bake.
When the meatballs are ready, toss them in the sauce until fully covered.
Finish with a pinch of sesame seeds and sliced green onions.