When I was in grad school I was lucky enough to live about a 15 minute walk from my older brother, who regularly took me out to dinner and kept me from (completely) losing my mind. My brother (Matt) lived abroad for a while and speaks Mandarin, so he would frequently take me to Chinese restaurants. Matt would order whatever he knew would be delicious in a language I couldn’t even begin to comprehend, and I would eat it happily. I tell you this because this was the very first time I ate Ma Po Tofu, and when I discovered a deep and lasting love for the flavor of Sichuan peppercorns. They impart a piney, spicy, delicious flavor that leaves your mouth tingling in the most pleasant way. Many of the dishes that I love that make use of this gorgeous flavor are loaded with chili oil, fatty and delicious - often incorporating noodles as well. I adapted this recipe from one on The Defined Dish that promised all of the big flavor of my favorite Sichuan dishes in a more healthful way, simplifying them so they’re even more ready to pack into lunch. I find these meatballs to be totally addictive; Ben has added them to pasta and folded them into last weeks waffles to make (weird) spicy sweet tacos. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

4 scallions

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon tamari (sub coconut aminos for Whole30 variant)

4 arbol peppers

1 teaspoon sichuan peppercorns (I bought a big bag on Amazon)

a couple tablespoons neutral cooking oil

Start by toasting the dried peppers and peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and toasty - with the peppers picking up a little color on both sides. Let them cool slightly, and then grind the spices until the peppers have formed flakes like crushed red pepper and the peppercorns have formed a coarse powder.

Clean and chop the scallions, both the white and green parts are great here. Save a couple tablespoons of the green parts of the scallion for garnish.

Finely chop the garlic; you can also use a garlic press, or a microplane to bring the garlic to a fine paste.

Combine the vinegar, sesame oil, tamari (or aminos), garlic, and toasted spices in a bowl, whisking to combine. Then add the scallions, mixing well for even distribution. This potent mixture will flavor the meatballs.

Add the ground turkey to the bowl, combining well with the base mixture. I do this with my hands, working the flavorings through the turkey until it forms one cohesive mass where the turkey sticks to itself.

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat - let it heat up for a few minutes, you want a good sizzle when add the meat. Form the meat into walnut sized balls, and fry on both sides until deep golden brown and crispy. If you poke them and they’re still soft and squishy, they aren’t cooked through. You want to cook them until they’re kind of firm but tender. It took me two batches and I get about 20 meatballs per lb of turkey.

Garnish with the reserved scallions and dig in!