Simple Stay-home Recipes: IKEA Meatballs

There are probably only two reasons why most of us shop at IKEA; it’s either for their affordable and ready-to-assemble furniture or for their canteen-style food. And by that, I specifically mean their bad-ass IKEA Meatballs.  

Although we won’t be able to make a trip to IKEA anytime soon, IKEA Meatball fanatics will be pleased as the giant furniture retailer has released a secret recipe for their signature meatballs. Presented in the form of their iconic instructions manual, it’s hard to believe that these meatballs (together with its cream sauce) only requires six simple steps to complete. Definitely a piece of good news for novices in the kitchen as you will most likely be able to assemble it faster than that IKEA desk you bought pre ‘Circuit Breaker’.

Known in the team as the one who is handy and good with instructions, I decided to take on the challenge of re-creating the renowned IKEA Meatballs to see for myself if it is indeed as straightforward as it looked. Armed with all my ingredients purchased online, I began my IKEA DIY session.

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 500g of minced beef
• 250g of minced pork
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 2-3 clove of garlic (crushed or minced)
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoon of milk (whole milk)
• Salt and pepper (generous amount)

Cream Sauce

• Oil
• 40g of butter
• 40g of plain flour
• 150ml vegetable stock
• 150ml beef stock
• 150ml thick double cream
• 2 teaspoon of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Tools

• Chopping board
• Knife
• Pan
• Oven
• Baking tray

Recipe Preparation

Preparation time (meatball): 20 minutes + 2 hours in fridge; Cooking time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes in oven
Preparation time (cream sauce): 10 minutes; Cooking time: 10 minutes
Feeds five to six (makes 40 medium-sized meatballs)

Meatballs

• Measure and prepare ingredients accordingly.
• Combine minced beef and pork. Mix with fingers to break up lumps.
• Add chopped onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, eggs, and milk. Mix till all the ingredients are fully combined. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Shape mixture into round balls and place meatballs onto a tray or plate. Store in the fridge to chill for two hours. 
• After two hours, heat oil on a pan and sear meatballs until they turn golden brown on all sides.
• Place meatballs on an ovenproof dish and cover the dish. Bake the meatballs in the oven at a preheated temperature of 180°C (conventional) or 160°C (fan) for 30 minutes before serving. 

Cream Sauce

• Melt butter a heated pan before whisking plain flour into melted butter and stir for two minutes.
• Add vegetable and beef stock into the pan, stirring continuously.
• Add double cream, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard. Bring sauce to a simmer and allow the sauce to thicken.
• When the cream sauce starts to bubble, it’s ready to be served.

Recipe (In Pictures)

Meatballs

Step 1: Measure and prepare ingredients accordingly.

Step 2: Combine minced beef and pork. Mix with fingers to break up lumps.

Step 3: Add chopped onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, eggs, and milk. Mix till all the ingredients are fully combined. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Step 4: Shape mixture into round balls and place meatballs onto a tray or plate. Store in the fridge to chill for two hours.

Step 5: After two hours, heat oil on a pan and sear meatballs until they turn golden brown on all sides.

Step 6: Place meatballs on an ovenproof dish and cover the dish. Bake the meatballs in the oven at a preheated temperature of 180°C (conventional) or 160°C (fan) for 30 minutes before serving.

Cream Sauce

Step 7: Melt butter a heated pan before whisking plain flour into melted butter and stir for two minutes.

Step 8: Add vegetable and beef stock into the pan, stirring continuously.

Step 9: Add double cream, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard. Bring sauce to a simmer and allow the sauce to thicken.

Step 10: When the cream sauce starts to bubble, it’s ready to be served.

Appearance-wise, these hand-made meatballs look nothing close to those impeccably spheric shaped ones sold at IKEA, but when it comes to taste, there’s indeed a certain degree of similarity. Seasoned simply with just salt and pepper, the sweetness from the minced pork and beef shone through with every bite. Each meatball was tender and juicy, making them delicious treats even when eaten alone.

As for the cream sauce, although the one I recreated did not look as brownish as those served at IKEA (probably due to the use of beef stock cubes which did not appear as dark), the taste, to my surprise, 80% – 90% similar. It was definitely as flavourful and rich as the original!

Planning to try this IKEA Meatballs recipe at home? Here are a few tips which I’ve learned through my cooking process which hopefully will help in yours!

• Be really generous with your salt and pepper seasoning. This makes the meatballs more flavourful even when eaten alone. For those of you watching your sodium intake, feel free to adjust according to your liking.
• Instead of finely chopping your onions, try grinding them in a grinder. Grinding the onions ensures that they are all evenly cut up. The sweetness from the onions will be infused into the meat mixture better. It will also make your meatballs look prettier when you shape them.
• Try to follow the recipe and refrigerate your meatballs for at least one and a half to two hours. Properly chilled meatballs can hold their shape better and will not crumble easily when they are cooked.

If you have tried this recipe, we would love to know what you think about it. How would you rate it against the meatballs sold at IKEA? Do let us know on our Facebook comments!

Expected Damage: S$5 – S$6 per portion (six IKEA Meatballs) 

The post Simple Stay-home Recipes: IKEA Meatballs appeared first on SETHLUI.com.