I absolutely adore Molly Yeh, and have a series recording set up on my PVR for Girl Meets Farm so I never miss an episode. HOWEVER, it’s pretty rare that I make any of the recipes I actually see on the show, since Molly is routinely doing things like handmaking fresh pasta for homemade ravioli, deep frying them, and then using them as croutons on a salad (aka totally absurd).

Because of this, instead of buying her new cookbook, I checked it out of the library to see if there was anything in it that I would actually want to cook. There was! Starting with these Chicken Shawarma Meatballs which I made right away. Is this the best thing I cooked at home all year? Yes, I think so! (Or at least tied with this other Shawarma Bowl I made) It’s super flavourful chicken meatballs with shawarma spices (garam masala, curry powder, coriander) on a bed of basmati rice, drizzled in garlic sauce with some nice fresh veggies on the side.

My co-worker found me chowing down on the leftovers at my desk, said it looked/smelled amazing, and then had to listen to ten minutes about Molly’s life story, and an explanation of both hotdish and cookie salad. Loved it!

Chicken Shawarma Meatballs

Source: Home is Where the Eggs Are

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • kosher salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated with a microplane
  • 3/4 tsp garam masala
  • 3/4 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup panko
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 lb ground chicken or turkey
  • freshly ground black pepper

Rice

  • 1 1/2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
  • 3 cups water or chicken stock
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt

Garlic Sauce

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/4 cup greek yogurt
  • 1 garlic clove, grated with a microplane
  • juice from half a lemon
  • kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper

Accessories

  • shredded lettuce
  • cherry tomatoes
  • cucumber slices
  • lemon wedges
  • hot sauce

Directions

  1. For the meatballs, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook until the onion has softened, about 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic, garam masala, curry powder and coriander and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  3. In a medium bowl, stir together the egg, panko and cilantro with a fork. Add the onion mixture, 1 tsp salt, and as much freshly ground black pepper as you like. Mix again, then add the chicken/turkey and use the fork (or your hands) to form into balls (about the size of a golf ball).
  4. Add more oil to the skillet and return it to medium high heat. Cook the meatballs in batches, until golden brown on all sides and cooked through (in the original recipe, Molly transfers the skillet to the oven to cook the meatballs through, but I found mine were already cooked through after this step).
  5. For the rice, add everything to the rice cooker, give it a stir and let it cook.
  6. For the garlic sauce, stir everything together in a small bowl.
  7. To assemble, add a couple scoops of rice to one side of a plate or bowl, and place some meatballs on top. Fill the other side with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. Drizzle the entire thing in garlic sauce, a few shakes of hot sauce and a generous squeeze of lemon.