Friday 20 March 2015

Pumpkin Meatballs


That's it! I finished up the last of my frozen pumpkin puree. Initially I defrosted the pumpkin puree to attempt a pumpkin bread but I decided not take the risk as I have never baked bread before.


I was prepping the meatball mixture using my usual recipe  to cook porridge for my partner. That's when the idea of adding pumpkin puree came into my head. Why not, right? So I dumped the two tubs of pumpkin puree into the mixture. It made the mixture sticky and I did not have to add any cornflour or egg as a binding agent.


The amount of minced meat was too much for the porridge and I decided to bake the remaining meatballs. Like before, I lined the baking tray with aluminium foil and rubbed it with some oil. Then I formed the meatballs and arranged them on the tray. These were baked at 200C for 22 minutes.


This batch of meatballs turned out much better than the one I made previously. I did not brush any oil on the meatballs and did not flip them over. The only thing I did was to turn the tray at half time to ensure even baking. Best of all, the meatballs did not stick to the foil.


There was some browning on the meatballs and they looked lots better than my earlier Ugly Meatballs. The pumpkin made the meatballs very moist. I guess from now on, I am not going to fry meatballs anymore. Baking is a healthier alternative and it is also a lot more convenient. But I have to admit that fried meatballs have an edge in terms of appearance and taste. But I am willing to compromise.









Pumpkin Meatballs
Recipe source : Phong Hong

Ingredients :
- 380g minced pork
- 1 big onion, minced
- 100g pumpkin puree
- salt and pepper to taste

Method :
1. Mix all the ingredients together until the mixture becomes sticky and gluey.
2. Rest the mixture in the fridge for about an hour.
3. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and rub some oil to coat the foil.
4. Take the minced meat out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
5. Roll into balls and place on the lined tray.
6. Bake at 200C for about 20-25 minutes or until slightly browned and cooked at the center.


44 comments:

  1. ooolala!! it's MEATBALL!!! and I LOVE MEATBALLS!!! but I have to agree with you that I like the fried ones more than the baked ones, maybe the fried ones are more crispy outside?? especially the almost-burnt part.. haha!! dunno la, you know I mskan only so I am comparing those I have at chap fan stalls and those I have at IKEA.. IKEA ones are baked, correct??

    finally finally you have your last tub of pumpkin purée used!!! are you very happy about this?? or you were slightly depressed because that's the last one?? hahaha, I think no more pumpkins for the time being huh?? time to explore other things probably??

    that's the fun in the kitchen!! always improvise and always impromptu.. once you have an idea, it just comes and you will ditch your earlier plan and experiment it!! so this proves pumpkin can be a good thing to go with meatballs, yeah, more moisture and replacing the cornflour to bind the meat.. eih, that's even more healthy agree??

    so now, the moment of truth.. how many pumpkin meatballs did Phong Hong wallop this time?? hahahaha.. she didn't mention at all so I would assume two extreme cases.. either she didn't touch at all, or she just have two pieces left for her partner!! hahahaha~~ :p

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    1. Wow! Wow! Woweeee! I love Meat Balls like SK!! That's why we are brothers Anay & Thambee but from different fathers and mothers! LOL

      I learnt a new word of "binding agents" using substitute ingredients. You are so smart in the kitchen. I

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    2. SK : I don't know about the IKEA ones as I have not eaten them as yet! Ah, you know me very well now. You know PH can wallop many meatballs in one shot! But this time, I did not counts hah..hah...

      TM : You and your Thambee are a good match lah. Bith can sit down to a feast of meatballs!

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  2. Phong Hong, this is very very interesting! I'm very excited to try this, really! I scroll straight to your ingredients, and they are so simple! 3 main ingredients only, ok wor, nice! Everything is so easily available in the market, this one can do wor.. Your meatballs look so so good la, I can eat 50! Meatballs, nuggets, even hash brown, I can eat a lot, like 50 pieces, dipped in mayo and cili sauce, yummzzz..

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    1. Louiz! You beat me flat like that lah hah..hah... I would love to see you eat 50 meatballs :D

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  3. Good morning PH,
    You are creative to make this batch of pumpkin meatball with nice attractive golden appearance! When I see this pumpkin meatball , an ideal came across my mind that is a good choise for next CNY dish. Thank you for the inspiration.

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    1. Hi Aunty Young! It so happened that I had pumpkin puree and it was risky to make bread. Meatballs was a safer bet!

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  4. STP come here already yet? He will drool max liao.

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  5. There's pumpkin cakes, pumpkin pies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bars, pumpkin rice....of course, there's gotta be pumpkin meatballs...wakakaka ;D Anyway, I love any type of balls...pork balls, beef balls, fish balls. I've always fried my meatballs, maybe I should try baking them for a change.

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  6. What a coincidence! My girl made very nice pumpkin croquettes today but no meat. We abstain on Friday.

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  7. Phong Hong,
    Baked pumpkin meatballs ... definitely delicious ! I'm counting the nos. of balls ... I mean .. meatballs ... enough for you ? hee .. hee...
    Personally, I would prefer shallow or deep fried meatballs (coat with some flour or bread crumb etc.) as I like the crisp crust. But I reckon that baked meatballs tasted more moist and healthier. Either way, my family loves meatballs cooked in any style ... they cannot complain ... ha ha! Have a great weekend !

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    1. Karen, aiyo! You know my capacity already huh? hee..hee...I still feel that frying gives better taste :)

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  8. What a great idea! I can imagine how delicious it is! Hmm.. maybe I'll try yam meatballs or sweet potato meatballs this weekend..

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    1. That will work too! Show, OK? hee..hee...

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  9. Hi Phong Hong,
    Pumpkin meatballs..now that is a delicious one! Looks yummy and I like the golden yellow of the meatballs! I could finish a plateful of these!

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    1. Hi Joyce! These meatballs were rather good but I have run out of pumpkin puree :(

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  10. You're so creative with your pumpkin! ;)

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    1. Thanks, Lina! Necessity is the mother of invention :)

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  11. Ingat meatballs ingat Soto! Hehehe...

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  12. Golden pumpkin meatballs...very interesting because I love pumpkin. Looks very good and I am sure it taste super delicious.

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    1. Nancy, that's what I should call them should I serve this during CNY hee..hee...

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  13. Very good idea Kak Phong Hong, I like your healthy version pumpkin meatball too :) Sedap betul! haha...

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  14. That's what I thought seeing the ingredients-they must have been very soft!

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    1. Ola, they were soft and moist. Good meatballs :)

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  15. Using pumpkin puree to bind the meatball is so much better and tasty too! What a great idea!

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    1. Thanks, Mun! Discovered by accident :)

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  16. Very creative if you to use puréed pumpkin to bind the meat in your meatballs. Yum!

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    1. Veronica, I'm glad I discovered this!

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  17. I can't believe all of the things you can do with pumpkin! These sound amazing!

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  18. Baking is so much healthier! NO oil... but I cannot do this as yet... no oven la! hahahaa.. Can fry too, right? But then not so healthy already...

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    1. Yes, Claire can fry which is nicer. Get an oven soon hee..hee..

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  19. Hi Phong Hong, fully agree that the pumpkin puree makes these meatballs moist and soft too. Baking meatballs is a good option for me who never likes frying in my kitchen. Thanks for sharing the recipe and idea. I think serving 'ugly' meatballs with a sauce may help to cover up the flaws, hehehe!

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    1. Hi Kimmy! Yes, now I will add pumpin puree whenever I can to meatballs. I read that cauliflower puree does the same thing but it is hard to get nice cauliflower at the supermarket.

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