Whether you’re vegan all the way or are just flirting with the idea for Veganuary, it can be hard not to get stuck in a rut. Well now you can add one more plant-based meal to your repertoire with this sriracha ‘meatballs’ recipe from Gaz Oakley, aka the Avant Garde Vegan. He’s a big fan of sriracha and it adds a great spicy tanginess to the dish. His top tip? Get some good charring on the grilled veggies as this is what’ll add flavour.
What You Need, Serves 4
For the meatballs:
1 x 300-g (10-oz) firm block of tofu, water drained and excess water removed
3 spring onions, very finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
handful of coriander, chopped
1 tbsp Egg Replacement (made by blending 5tbsp of white chia seeds with filtered water, ratio is 3tbsp water to every 1tbsp of ground seeds)
4 tbsp buckwheat flour
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp tomato puree
3 tbsp Sriracha sauce
1 tbsp coconut oil, for sautéeing
For the sauce:
5 tbsp Sriracha sauce
5 tbsp tomato ketchup
3 tbsp maple syrup
5 tbsp water
To serve:
300g rice noodles
vegetables (such as asparagus, pak choi, tenderstem broccoli, radishes, carrots, sugarsnap peas)
cucumber ribbons
mixed sesame seeds
fresh coriander
What You Do
1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. First up, make those meatballs. Mash the tofu with a potato masher in a large mixing bowl, until it’s broken up into small pieces. Add all the other meatball ingredients to the bowl and stir until well incorporated. If the mix is still slightly wet, add a couple of extra tbsp flour.
3. Now it’s time to form the mixture into balls. Take 1 large tablespoon of mixture and form into a ball with your hands. Repeat until you’ve used up all the mixture. Lightly flour your hands between each meatball to stop the mixture from sticking. Place the meatballs onto the lined baking tray as you go.
4. Cook the rice noodles according to the packet instructions and prepare your vegetables for grilling.
5. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a low heat, add the coconut oil and sautée the meatballs in small quantities, until golden. This should take approximately 3 minutes per batch. Place them back onto the tray, then into the oven to cook through for 10 minutes.
6. While the meatballs are in the oven, mix together the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and heat gently until you’re ready to serve. Grill your vegetables on a hot griddle pan until charred.
7. Once the meatballs are cooked, serve in a large bowl with the rice noodles, lots of the grilled vegetables, the cucumber ribbons and plenty of sauce. Sprinkle over mixed sesame seeds and chopped coriander just before serving.