Recipe: Chicken Meatball Skewers with Craggy Crispy Potatoes & Spiced Ketchup
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Maybe this is a surprising tale to tell as a food blogger but my family does not have a bunch of family recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. There is one cookbook that I remember my mom using, that she brought with her from Malaysia and we have a few tried and true recipes from there. And she also has her famous (among friends) curry puff recipe that I definitely need to get from her. For the most part, though, when I am feeling nostalgic for the food memories that make me feel connected to my family and my heritage, I have to try to recreate them from memory.
But, sometimes, as the great Ina Garten says, “storebought is fine”!
My parents are I are all about using store-bought pastes to recreate our favorite Malaysian dishes sometimes, and guess what? They turn out plenty delicious. A good prepared spice paste will have all the flavor complexity that requires time to develop and will save you the time and hassle of cleaning mortars and pestles and food processors.
Another great thing about a storebought spice paste is that it makes it easy to get creative. For example, I do have my own from-scratch chicken satay recipe but using a spice paste such as Asian Home Gourmet’s Marinade for Meat Satay allows me to easily incorporate those flavors of satay that are so nostalgic to me into other meals. This spice paste can be purchased at Millenniyum.com. (I am really lucky to have access to lots of great grocery stores near where I live, but if you have trouble finding the special Southeast Asian ingredients I use in a lot of my recipes, then Millenniyum is a great place to order them online. They carry a variety of products that I would consider to be iconic to stocking a Southeast Asian pantry.)
A lot of times when I am coming up with ideas for fusion dishes, what sparks the idea is looking at commonalities among foods from different cultures—I love encountering these connections because it further proves my belief that it is through food that people of different cultures can find the best channels of communication. There are many other cultures besides my own that have iconic versions of meat on a stick, and kofta kababs are another favorite example of mine. It may be spelled kofta, köfte, kefta or other variations, but throughout the Levant and Arabic cultures, there is some version of ground meat served molded around skewers—a meatball kebab.
I love that the ground meat mixture is such a wonderful carrier of flavor, so I thought creating a meatball version of chicken satay would be a great, texturally-new way to experience one of my favorite flavor combos. Since I was drawing inspiration from kofta kababs anyways, I decided to combine my chicken meatball satay with crispy potatoes, reminiscent of those Turkish fast casual stands all over Europe that pair shawarma and kebabs with fries. Since I didn’t need the whole packet of Asian Home Gourmet Marinade for Meat Satay in my marinade, I was also able to use some to amp up plain ol’ ketchup to make an incredible dipping condiment for my super crispy potatoes.
This latest culinary fusion of mine is made up of the following components:
chicken meatball skewers: A cross between Southeast Asian chicken satay and Arab kofta kebabs; ground chicken is mixed with Asian Home Gourmet Marinade for Meat Satay and some binders to create a meatball mixture that is loaded with the flavor of chicken satay. This mixture is quite sticky if you use a 96% lean/4% fat ground chicken like I did; I recommend chilling it for a bit to get it to firm up more and continuously dipping your fingers into some water while you are molding the mixture around skewers, to prevent it from sticking to your hands. The slightly messy process will be well worth it when you end up with an incredibly tender meatball texture for your meat skewers. I cooked the meatball skewers in a pan with a large flat base that could easily accommodate the length of the skewers, rotating regularly with tongs to keep their shape. Satay and kebabs are both typically grilled, but I thought this pan fried method would help make this recipe more accessible, and something that could be made year round.
craggy crispy potatoes: In place of french fries, I made these craggy crispy potatoes that are so incredibly addictive. First I boil baby potatoes in salted water until they are completely soft. When they are slightly cooled and totally dry, I rip them apart with my hands and that creates all kinds of irregular craggy surfaces, that when crisped up in a deep frying phase turns into all these wonderful crispy edges. Just look at how golden and delicious they look in the photos!
spiced ketchup: Whisking together some regular ketchup with some of that Asian Home Gourmet Marinade for Meat Satay will transform it into a condiment that tastes so full of complex spices. It is perfect for those potatoes but you may just want to end up getting extra spice paste packets to make this for all your other favorite deep fried carb formats.
other serving suggestions: I opted to serve my skewers and fried potatoes on top of naan and a big smear of yogurt, and finished things off with micro cilantro and cucumber ribbons. I completely recommend this combo, which further serves to bridge the gap between things served with satay and things served with kebabs. However, these are an optional finishing touch.
How to Make Chicken Meatball Skewers with Craggy Crispy Potatoes & Spiced Ketchup
(Makes about 12 skewers)
Ingredients
1 packet Asian Home Gourmet Marinade for Indonesian Meat Satay
Ingredients for Chicken Meatball Skewers
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1 lb ground chicken (96% lean/4% fat recommended)
2–3 tbsp cooking oil
Ingredients for Crispy Potatoes
1 lb baby yukon gold potatoes
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
2–4 cups vegetable oil (or high smoke point oil) for deep frying
2 tbsp ketchup
Ingredients for Serving (Optional)
flatbreads, such as naan
cucumbers, sliced
yogurt
cilantro or micro cilantro
Procedure
Combine breadcrumbs and egg and allow to sit for 2–3 minutes so breadcrumbs absorb egg and become soggy. Then, combine all meatball ingredients and 4 teaspoons of Asian Home Gourmet Marinade for Indonesian Meat Satay. Mix thoroughly until homogenous. Refrigerate meatball mixture to allow it to become more firm while preparing the potatoes.
In a medium pot, combine potatoes with 6 cups of water, or enough to completely cover the potatoes in 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Continue boiling potatoes until they begin to crack, about 25–30 minutes. Drain completely and allow to cool.
Prepare the spiced ketchup by combining ketchup with the remaining Asian Home Gourmet Marinade left in the packet. Whisk until homogeneous. Set aside until ready for serving.
In a heavy pot, heat up enough frying oil to be deeper than the size of the largest potato. Prepare a small baking tray lined with paper towels. When boiled potatoes are cool enough to handle, gently break into large chunks with your hands to create irregular craggy pieces—halves for smaller potatoes and quarters for larger ones. When oil starts to shimmer, test it by adding a tiny piece of potato to the oil; if it bubbles vigorously, the oil is hot enough. Working in batches if necessary to not crowd the pot, deep fry potatoes until golden brown, about 3–5 minutes per batch. Remove from oil and drain on prepared paper towels.
Once all potatoes are fried, remove paper towels and place fried potatoes directly on tray. Toss potatoes with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt to taste). Place potatoes in the oven and turn on to 175°F to keep warm while preparing the skewers.
Begin forming the meatball skewers by moistening hands with water to prevent sticking, then scoop about 1/4 cup of the chilled meatball mixture and mold into a long shape around a wooden skewer. Repeat with the remaining meatball mixture.
Use a skillet large enough for the skewers to lie flat or a flat griddle pan; heat on medium. Add enough cooking oil to thinly coat bottom of pan. Working in batches if needed, place prepared meatball skewers in heated pan and cook for 5–7 minutes, using tongs to rotate regularly to maintain the rounded shape. Add cooking oil as needed and repeat until all the meatball skewers are lightly browned on the outside and cooked through.
To make the serving suggestion shown in the photos, spread a thin layer of yogurt over flatbreads, then top with skewers and potatoes; garnish with cucumbers and micro cilantro.
Serve the spiced ketchup on the side for dipping the potatoes.
Thank you so much to Millenniyum for sponsoring this Asian Home Gourmet recipe! Check them out on Instagram here or visit their website to purchase Southeast Asian pantry essentials.