Vegan Asian meatball bowls

Step 1

Heat up the oven to 200° C / 390° F (180° C / 355° F fan) and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper.

Step 2

Peel the potato and slice it into 1.5 cm / 0.5" slices. Place on a baking tray and bake for about 30 minutes (until cooked through), flipping the pieces halfway through the baking time. Do not brush the slices with oil, dry potato is good for the overall texture of the meatballs. Let the sweet potato cool down completely after baking.

Step 3

Place the baked potato in a food processor with all the ingredients apart from the chilli (you may want to add it gradually), tofu and breadcrumbs. Process until everything is well chopped. Use a spatula to bring any stray, large pieces back into the fold. Taste and adjust the amount of chilli (and salt) to your liking.

Step 4

Add broken up (drained but not pressed) tofu. Process until well incorporated, but take care not to over process. The mixture should be pliable, but not overly wet.

Step 5

Place the tofu and sweet potato mixture in a large mixing bowl and fold in panko breadcrumbs (or GF flour) with a spatula.

Step 6

Place the mixture in the fridge for a few hours to make forming the meatballs easier. If you are in a rush, you can also just place the mixture in the freezer for about 30-45 minutes.

Step 7

Take the mixture out of the fridge and roll it into meatballs. I used kitchen scales to ensure they are even - each meatball was 20 g / 0.7 oz (or about 1 level tablespoon) of the mixture.

Step 8

Heat up a medium, non-stick pan on a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil (I use rice bran oil) and allow it to heat up before adding the meatballs in.

Step 9

Swivel the oil around the pan. Add the meatballs to the hot oil - they should sizzle once they hit the pan. Pan-fry them gently until they are browned all over. Handle them with care as they are a bit fragile while hot.

Step 10

If you would rather bake the meatballs, heat up the oven to 200° C / 390° F (180° C / 355° F fan) and brush a baking sheet with a bit of oil. Place the meatballs on the oiled tray and bake them for about 20 minutes, flipping them to the other side (and brushing the underside with oil again) halfway through.

Step 11

Serve on a bed of rice, fresh salad and pickles drizzled with hot sauce and soy sauce.