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Shiitake and Rice Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Murielle Banackissa is excited to bring you a brand-new recipe: Shiitake and Rice Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce! Made with aromatic U.S.-grown jasmine rice, these meatballs are a savoury, fragrant, and rich meat free alternative to a beloved classic! Serve them on their own or on a bed of U.S.-grown basmati rice and drizzled with homemade sweet and sour sauce.





Yield
4 servings
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
1 h 15 min


Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 3/4 cup uncooked U.S.-grown brown jasmine rice
  • 1-1/3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp + 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 350g diced mushrooms (I used a mix of shiitake and button mushrooms)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp tamari
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/3 cup hemp hearts
  • 1/4 cup packed fresh coriander
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 jalapeño (seeds removed for less heat), diced
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp whole wheat flour

Sweet and Sour Sauce

  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 2-1/2 tsp cornstarch

For serving

  • U.S.-grown basmati rice
  • Fresh coriander
  • Chili flakes

Directions

Prepare the meatballs

  1. Add the U.S.-grown jasmine brown rice and vegetable broth to a medium-sized pot. Cover and bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat and let sit with the lid on for 10 minutes. Fluff up with a fork and let cool while you prepare the rest of the meatball ingredients.
  4. Heat a large pan on medium heat.
  5. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the diced onion. Cook until gold and the edges are starting to brown, about 5-8 minutes.
  6. Incorporate the diced mushrooms. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the mushrooms are brown around the edges and most of their moisture has evaporated, about 12 minutes.
  7. Sprinkle in minced garlic. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
  8. Pour in tamari and add black pepper. Cook for another minute.
  9. Remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
  10. To a food processor, add the hemp hearts, fresh coriander, basil, nutritional yeast, and jalapeño. Pulse until finely chopped.
  11. Add the cooked onion and mushroom mixture and pulse until the mushrooms are chopped into small pieces. Do not over process; you are not looking to create a paste.
  12. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl. Add in the cooked and cooled Jasmine brown rice and whole wheat flour.
  13. Stir using a silicone spatula.
  14. Form 16 meatballs of about 2 tablespoons each using your hands and place them onto a plate. If you find that your hands become sticky with the mixture, coat them with a little olive oil.
  15. Heat a large nonstick pan with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil on medium-low.
  16. Once hot, drop half of the meatballs into the pan and cook until brown, then turn and repeat until they are brown all around. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
  17. Repeat the process with the remaining meatballs.

Prepare the Sweet and Sour Sauce

  1. Add all sauce ingredients into a saucepan except the cornstarch. Stir.
  2. To a small bowl, add cornstarch along with 3 tablespoons of the sauce (from the saucepan). Stir until smooth.
  3. Bring the sauce in the saucepan to a boil.
  4. Give the cornstarch slurry a stir to ensure it is homogeneous, then pour it into the saucepan with the rest of the sauce.
  5. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until thickened, whisking regularly.

Assemble

  1. Serve the meatballs on a bed of U.S.-grown basmati rice along with the sweet and sour sauce. Garnish with coriander and chili flakes. Enjoy!

Notes

The cooking time is based on the mushroom mixture being prepared while the rice is cooking for 30 minutes.

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