Porcupine Meatballs with Rice Quills and Hot-Sweet Mustard

Name: Porcupine Meatballs with Rice Quills and Hot-Sweet Mustard
Yield: makes about 30 appetizer-size balls
Ingredients: 1 cup short-, medium-, or long-grain white rice; 1 teaspoon loose green tea leaves, any kind; 1 tablespoon boiling water; 1 pound ground pork; 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions, mostly light green parts; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger; 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro; 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/3 cup hot-sweet mustard; 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce; 1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

January 24, 2012

These small sausage balls, with their rice “quills” poking outward, are a dream for entertaining. They can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 2 days before cooking to serve warm. The green tea leaves season the sausage with an exotic savor, and a side plate of hot-sweet mustard, soy sauce, and Asian sesame oil for dipping, all out of a jar or bottle, suffice to complete the dish’s charm. Although the meatballs have a pedigree in Chinese cuisine made with glutinous, or sweet, rice, I prefer to use regular rice. If you don’t have a bamboo steamer basket, a plate lined with lettuce leaves can substitute. The trick here is to rig up something, such as an empty can in the bottom of the pot, to elevate the plate above the water. Covering the pot will allow enough steam to collect around the plate for the balls to cook.

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