Szechwan Meatballs With Lemon Coconut Noodles Recipe

8 oz Chinese egg noodles
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 Tbsp grated ginger root
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Szechwan pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 large egg, yolk only
peanut oil for frying
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 lemon zested and juiced
1 can (14 oz) unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp Sriracha hot chili sauce
chopped fresh cilantro for serving

Cook the egg noodles according to package directions, drain well and put into a bowl then add the sesame oil and toss well to combine; cover and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the ginger, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, pepper flakes, Szechwan pepper, sea salt, green onions, garlic, and egg yolk.  To this mixture, add the ground beef and ground pork, mixing together until just blended. Do not over handle the meat as it will get touch. Divide the meat mixture into 12 equal parts and roll into meatballs with your hands; set aside.

Get your wok ready. Place it over high heat, add enough peanut oil to come up to 1/2 inch in the wok. When oil is very hot, fry several meatballs at a time, making sure you don't overcrowd the wok. Turn the meatballs over making sure all sides are golden brown, then remove to a paper towel covered rack. The meatballs should be thoroughly cooked in about 5 minutes.

Wipe the wok clean, then make the sauce. Add 1 Tbsp peanut oil to the wok, then stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and coconut milk, stirring and cooking for about 3 to 4 minutes or until reduced and thickened slightly. Now add the fish sauce, Sriracha, and meatballs into the wok and cook until heated through, then remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon to a platter, leaving most of the sauce behind in the wok.

Add the cooked noodles to the wok now and stir, coating well with the sauce that remains in the wok and heating the noodles thoroughly, then scrape noodles and sauce out of the wok onto the platter with the meatballs, sprinkling cilantro on top of everything. Serve hot in shallow bowls.

Will serve 4 to 6.