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Minggu, 07 Maret 2010

Slow Cooker Meatballs in Peanut Chile Sauce Recipe

Happy Oscar Night!

I made these fantastic meatballs last night for some friends, and they were so well-received I figured I better hurry up and share them with the Internet. I cheated and used store-bought already cooked meatballs, but you certainly could make your own to use.

I'm pleased to see that our friendly neighborhood Trader Joe's is selling chicken meatballs that don't have any added bread crumbs or other gluteny filler in the deli meat section. If you don't live close to a Trader Joe's, Aidells makes a gluten free meatball (read the label carefully--the Teriyaki flavor is NOT SAFE!).

Anyhow, the 7 of us (4 adults, three kids, aged 3 to 8.5) all really liked the flavor: creamy and slightly coconuty with a bit of spice.

The Ingredients.
serves 10

40 already cooked meatballs (frozen or fresh)
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1 cup canned coconunt milk (I used light, it was fine. If using regular, shake well and include the cream on top)
1 tablespoon red chile paste (jarred, in the Asian cooking aisle)
2 teaspoons fish sauce (in Asian cooking aisle, surprisingly inexpensive, although I bet you could substitute a gluten free soy sauce and not notice much of a taste difference)
1 1/2 tablespoons white granulated sugar

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart slow cooker. It's okay to use a 6 quart, but decrease cooking time by about an hour.

Put meatballs into slow cooker (frozen is fine). Add peanut butter and coconut milk. Drop in a gollop of red chile paste, then add fish sauce and sugar. Stir as well as you can to combine---it won't be perfect because the peanut butter will still be clumpy. No worries.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours, high for 2-4, or until peanut butter mixture is fully melted and the meatballs are heated throughout.

Serve as a hot appetizer, or over long grained basmati rice as a meal.

The Verdict.

These are delicious!! I ate 3 cold for breakfast, and they still were quite tasty. The spice of the sauce is noticeable, but kind of mellows when eaten with the meatball. If your meatballs have a kick to them on their own, cut back on the chili paste. We all really liked the bit of crunch from the chunky peanut butter, but if you aren't a crunchy person, by all means use creamy.

Enjoy!