Thursday, October 15, 2009

Dinner in a Hurry That Doesn't Taste Like Dinner in a Hurry

I'm cooking up 5 pounds of meatballs today. Most of them will be cooled, flash frozen, and bagged for the freezer. Spaghetti and meatballs, meatball subs, waikiki meatballs, meatballs with a jelly glaze, swedish meatballs, barbeque meatballs, that 5 pound bag will be gone in a hurry. I'm going to set some of today's meatballs aside and use them for dinner tonight, making one of our favorites, shanghai meatballs with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. Fast, easy, and delicious, this is a perfect dinner for busy nights. Heat store bought meatballs or make your own, adding shanghai sauce for the last few minutes to heat the sauce and lightly glaze the meatballs. Jasmine rice is sticky, perfect for giving the sauce something to cling to, is lightly sweet which balances nicely with spicy flavors, and cooks in only 15 minutes after the water is heated to a boil. It even reheats well in the microwave! Stir in some chopped crystallized ginger for an added sweet and tangy flavor. Heat some frozen broccoli, and dinner is ready!

Shanghai Sauce
1 1/4 c. water
1 T cornstarch
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
2 T lime juice
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Stir the cornstarch into the water, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Heat over medium heat until it begins to bubble, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. A double batch will take closer to 45-50 minutes to thicken. This sauce freezes beautifully, so double up and freeze in 1 cup portions to use to coat wings, meatballs, or chicken tenders! This is a copy cat recipe for Chili's Boneless Shanghai Wings, and we love it!

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