Asian Meatballs With Sesame Lime Dipping Sauce

This recipe comes from the May 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine. This is a quick, delicious meal. Something different from the normal weeknight routine. Hope you enjoy it! Serve over steamed white rice. (One reviewer said that they substituted ground beef for the pork/veal and it turned out great that way too.)

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 12 large meatballs

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup  whole milk
• 1⁄4 cup  fine dry breadcrumb
• 3⁄4 lb ground pork
• 3⁄4 lb  ground veal
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• 1⁄2 cup  canned sliced water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped fresh cilantro, plus
• 1⁄4 cup fresh cilantro stem
• 5  tablespoons soy sauce
• 4  teaspoons  sesame oil
• 2  tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2  tablespoons water
• 2  teaspoons sugar

Directions

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Pour milk over bread crumbs in a large bowl and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add ground meat, egg, water chestnuts, salt, chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 3 tablespoons meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish. Make more meatballs with remaining mixture, arranging meatballs about 1/2 inch apart in baking dish. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, stir together lime juice, water, sugar, remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a bowl until sugar is dissolved.
4. Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 tablespoon sauce and sprinkle with cilantro sprigs.
5. Serve meatballs with remaining sauce.