I call this recipe Chinese meatballs. My Chinese brethren refer to it as “deep fried beef balls.” To me, they’re fried meatballs in oyster sauce that we serve with steamed rice; but they’re good over any preferred grain be it couscous, quinoa, farro or noodles.

It’s an easy enough dish to prepare. If you want the oyster sauce a bit thicker you can add a teaspoon  of cornstarch mix with a tablespoon of water. I serve this dish with parboil spinach which must be pressed to get rid of the excess water, thereby allowing the oyster sauce to be adsorbed. With a good wine, red or white, slightly chilled (or sake, if you want to mix cultures), it makes for a marvelous dinner.

CHINESE MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

1 pound beef (can substitute ground turkey or chicken)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
⅓ cup peanut oil or vegetable  oil
1 pound fresh spinach
½ cup water
½ cup beef or chicken broth
½ cup oyster sauce

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix the beef with the salt and cornstarch. Shape into small balls about ¾-inch in diameter.
2. Heat oil in a wok, skillet or frypan and cook meatballs over medium heat until deep brown. Note: a deep fryer, if you have one, is good for this.
3. While the beef is cooking, parboil or steam the spinach in the water. Press spinach lightly to remove moisture. Lay the spinach on a warm plate and arranged the cooked meatballs in the middle.
4. Pour the broth and oyster sauce in a small pan and heat briefly. Pour over the meatballs and spinach and serve with rice.
Yield: 4 servings.