Missing your weekly lunch trip to Itsu and their delicious Asian-inspired meals? Then hurrah for this recipe, as the British food chain has shared its recipe for tasty vegan meatballs which we can now make at home on lockdown (cue mini celebration dance). Meatless Farm’s Asian Meatballs are normally exclusive to Itsu but the plant-based company has shared how to make them with its fresh mince, now available from Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Ocado and Whole Foods. Get cooking!
Itsu Asian Meatless Meatballs
Serves 4 bowls, cooking time 35 minutes
Ingredients for vegan meatballs
- 400g Meatless Farm Mince
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh lemongrass (or dried)
- ½ deseeded red chilli
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp minced ginger
- ½ tsp minced garlic
Ingredients for Miso and extras (per 1 bowl):
- 1 sachet Itsu ‘miso easy’ traditional flavour in 200 ml boiling water
- 50g Shimeji mushrooms (any mushrooms will do, chanterelle, oyster mushrooms also great)
- ½ tsp truffle oil (use olive oil if not available)
- 4 basil leaves Edamame
- 1 egg (optional)
- 3 baby sweetcorn
- 75g ready cooked rice
- Chopped red chilli (to garnish)
- 1 sliced spring onion
- Sesame seeds sprinkle (to garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
How to make vegan meatballs
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Step 2
Mix the mince with other ingredients in a large bowl and then shape into balls about the size of a golf ball. A 400g pack of mince should make between 10 and 12 meatballs.
Step 3
Place the meatballs evenly spaced into an ovenproof tray lined with greaseproof paper.
Step 4
Bake for 15-18 minutes at 180 degrees.
Whilst you are waiting:
Step 5
Boil your baby sweetcorn in water over a medium heat, until cooked through. Once ready, put to one side.
Step 6
If you have chosen to include an egg, poach the egg in salted water (you can use the same water as the baby sweetcorn, to save time, cleaning up and to add a little extra flavour).
Step 7
Add your truffle or olive oil to a frying pan over a medium to high heat, once heated add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Put to one side so they are ready to add to the finished bowl.
Once your meatballs are ready:
Step 8
Add one sachet of the Itsu ‘miso easy’ to 200ml of boiling water and mix well.
Step 9
Heat up your ready cooked rice pack in the microwave, as per pack instructions.
Step 10
You are ready to build your bowl! Turn your rice into your bowl in a pile, add the miso soup, Asian Meatballs, mushrooms, baby corn, egg and top with all other prepared ingredients. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top to garnish.
To add your own touch, try adding….
Bok choy, seaweed, crispy chilli flakes, asparagus, noodles (instead of rice), bean sprouts, julienne carrots