Jimmy O. Yang’s Pork Meatball Curry
over Rice with Pickled Carrots & Scallions
- Tree Nuts
- Wheat
Our first-ever meatball curry is here, why didn’t we think of it sooner?! Thank you, actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang—you’re an inspiration! Here's how his limited-edition recipe goes down: You’ll form a mixture of pork, scallion, ginger, and garlic into meatballs and roast in the oven (hello, crispy edges!). Simmer up a quick, flavorful spiced curry sauce of coconut milk, sweet-hot chili sauce, and tangy lime juice, then coat those meatballs in curry, nestle atop fluffy rice, and finish with tangy quick-pickled carrot and crisp scallion greens for bright, crunchy contrast!
Ingredients
1 unit
Veggie Stock Concentrate
4 ounce
Shredded Carrots
1 ounce
Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
1 unit
Onion
1 tablespoon
Curry Powder
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Coconut Milk
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
10 ounce
Ground Pork
2 unit
Lime
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
2 unit
Scallions
¾ cup
Jasmine Rice
1 thumb
Ginger
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
3 teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Zest and quarter one lime; halve the other lime (for 4 servings, zest and quarter two limes; halve the remaining two). • Trim scallions; thinly slice whites crosswise. Halve greens lengthwise (making sure not to cut all the way through), then open like a book. Lay flat, then slice lengthwise into very thin strips. Soak in a bowl of ice water until they curl; drain and pat dry with paper towels. • Peel and mince or grate ginger. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Halve, peel, and finely dice onion.
• In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine carrots, juice from halved lime, 2 tsp sugar, salt, and pepper (juice from both halved limes and 4 tsp sugar for 4 servings). • Cover with plastic wrap; microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.
• In a small pot, combine rice, 1¼ cups water (2¼ cups for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve. TIP: If you have a rice cooker, feel free to use it instead of cooking your rice on the stove!
• In a second large bowl, combine pork*, panko, scallion whites, ginger, garlic, salt (we used ¾ tsp; 1½ tsp for 4 servings), and pepper. • Form into 10-12 1½-inch meatballs (20-24 meatballs for 4 servings). • Place meatballs on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Roast on top rack until meatballs are cooked through, 14-16 minutes.
• Once meatballs have roasted 5 minutes, heat a large drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4-6 minutes. • Season with 2 tsp curry powder (4 tsp for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. (TIP: Use more curry powder for a stronger flavor!) Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.
• Stir in coconut milk, chili sauce, stock concentrate, ¼ cup water, juice from two lime wedges, and a pinch of lime zest (1⁄3 cup water and juice from four lime wedges for 4 servings). • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until thickened, 2-4 minutes. TIP: If curry seems too thick, stir in splashes of water as needed. • Taste and season with salt and more lime juice if desired. Turn off heat; add meatballs and stir to coat with coconut curry sauce. TIP: If sauce is done before meatballs finish roasting, remove sauce from heat and set aside.
• Divide rice, meatballs with coconut curry sauce, and pickled carrots between shallow bowls. Garnish with scallion greens. Serve with remaining lime wedges on the side. TIP: If you like a little more zing, drizzle on some hot sauce or scatter thinly sliced chili over top.
Ground Pork is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the bold, flavorful curry sauce, though some found it too spicy or sweet; adjust seasoning to taste 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Several noted the recipe was time-consuming, especially curling scallions; consider simplifying steps for quicker preparation.
- Suggestions: Try adding extra veggies like mushrooms or zucchini; some preferred ground meat over meatballs for easier cooking.
- Leftovers: Mixed reviews on reheating; some enjoyed leftovers while others found the dish less appealing the next day.
- Portions: A few mentioned generous servings with plenty of rice; consider reducing rice and increasing meat for better balance.
Reviews from our home cooks
LOVE THIS DISH!! I did a little happy dance as soon as I took my first bite. Flavors reminded me of Tom Kha soup - the lime and the coconut with a little kick. So good. The ginger in the tender little meatballs comes through too, and then the pickled carrots draw out the brightness of the lime... and the rice balances everything. I hope to see this recipe again!!
This dish was ultimately delicious, but the recipe instructions were needlessly complicated. While curling the thinly sliced scallion greens is a neat trick, it is really not necessary and I spent way too much time trying to decipher the instructions to do this. Instructional images or a link to a quick video demo would have been really helpful and time-saving. The curry sauce was delicious. As I usually do with meatball recipes, I made several smaller meatballs rather than the few large ones for which the recipe calls. We were still left with quite a lot of rice and pickled carrots which, with the curry sauce, are good, but really not enjoyable without the meatball accompaniment.
This was so delicious! I almost didn't order it because the instructions seemed difficult but they were not. For us it was not quite spicy enough so we added Siracha to the sauce and then as a garnish but for others it might seem just right! The flavors in the meatballs were so good and so was the sauce. Slicing the green part of the onion the way the instructions stated was not necessary and we just diced them and garnished that way. I thought we'd wish there was some vinegar for pickling the carrots but it was not necessary as they were delicious!
More work than most, but absolutely delicious!! Love this so much - I added more curry power which was supplied, and more lime zest, also supplied. It took longer to pickle the carrots than the directions said, but all this aside - worth it and so delicious! Keep this!
This is a yummy satisfying dish! The pork pairs well with the curry. The pickled carrots and elegant curled scallions are a nice touch. They elevated the dish a bit.
I enjoyed the meatballs and there was enough for 2 people. Rice was bland and mushy. Specifically choosing a good brand of jasmine rice would make this better. The carrots were a bad choice in my opinion as there are very few occasions that carrots go well with a more soft textured meal.
Really liked adding in curry powder to the meatballs and cilantro on top that I had on hand. Next time I'll cook the meatballs a little longer to get more caramelization but I will definitely make again.
Great flavors. Two suggestions: reduce the sweet chile sauce (too sweet and plenty hot without extra) and sauté the carrots to soften before pickling.
We really liked this meal. The sauce was really good. Cooking the meatballs in the oven was a definite plus for me.
Partner said one of the best we've ever had. Enjoyed learning the skill of curling the scallions. I would love to see more techniques like this in Hello fresh recipes since cooking is very scary to me and helps me learn
