Air Fryer Sweet Soy Meatball & Sweet Potato Bowl

Juicy meatballs spiked with sweet soy sauce and oyster sauce, crispy-edged sweet potatoes and a glossy soy sesame glaze make this a delicious dish. Marinating the meatballs before cooking is a brilliant hack for the juiciest results. All cooked in the air fryer for maximum flavour with minimal effort. Served alongside crisp, smacked cucumber and zingy pickled red onions. This bowl's got it all - a combination of crunch, sweetness, and that irresistible sticky-savoury hit from the soy sauce. A proper weeknight winner.

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Ingredients

spring onions 4 (sliced)
garlic cloves 2 (crushed)
beef mince 500 g
sweet soy sauce 4 tbsp
oyster sauce 1 tbsp
sweet potato 500 g
cucumber ½
red onion 1 (sliced)
rice vinegar 1 tbsp
sesame seeds 1 tbsp
sesame oil 1 tbsp
chilli flakes pinch

Method

Prep the meatballs

Thinly slice the spring onions. Peel and crush the garlic.
To a bowl, add half the spring onions (reserve the rest to garnish), the garlic, beef mince, 1/4 of the sweet soy sauce and oyster sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Combine well together, ensuring the sweet soy sauce and oyster sauce are massaged into the mince. If you want to check the seasoning you can fry off a little piece of the mince to taste it - then adjust the seasoning as needed.
Shape into meatballs (4 per person). If you like, you can leave the meatballs to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours, or even overnight.

Cook the sweet potatoes

Preheat the air fryer to 200°C.
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into small cubes, then toss them with a drizzle of oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Cook in the air fryer at 200°C for 18–20 minutes, shaking halfway.

Cook the meatballs

Cook the meatballs in the air fryer at 200°C for 10 - 12 minutes, shaking halfway, until cooked through. Note - if your air fryer has 1 drawer, you can cook the meatballs in the same drawer as the sweet potatoes - you may need to increase the cooking time by a few minutes to ensure it all cooks evenly.
Air fryers may vary, so check your meatballs after 8 - 10 minutes and cook for a little longer if needed.

Prep the smacked cucumber & pickled red onion

For the smacked cucumber, slice the cucumber in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Place the cucumber, flesh-side down, on a board, then with a rolling pin (or another heavy object) bash the cucumber to bruise it. Cut the cucumber into thin slices.
For the pickled red onion, peel and thinly slice the red onion, add it to a bowl then sprinkle over the rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar, scrunch up the slices with your hands.

Make the sweet soy sesame glaze

Just before you are ready to serve, make the glaze. In a small pan, mix together the remaining sweet soy sauce, sesame oil and an optional pinch of chilli flakes. Warm over a low heat for 2 minutes, until you have a glossy glaze.

Plate Up

Plate up each bowl with the meatballs, sweet potato, cucumber and red onion. Drizzle the glaze on top then sprinkle over the sesame seeds and remaining spring onions. Tuck in and enjoy.

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