Recipe | Labong Meatballs

My sister and I are traveling to La Union later this month to attend a cousin's wedding, and as early as now, we are already thinking what stuff to bring. Whenever we're in La Union, we always stay with our Aunt Julie, who not only acts as our guardian, she's also the one who prepares our every meal.

While we were there last October-November, she prepared this dish as her potluck dish for a reunion party. I gave it a taste and liked it, so when we traveled back home, she included a kilo of bamboo shoots in our "take home" bag, which allowed me to try her recipe at home.

She didn't give me the exact measurements, so this recipe is basically based on the cook's preference, but if you wanna try it, here's how I did the meatballs when I served this dish to my family:


Labong Meatballs

Ingredients:

• about 1/4 kilo Bamboo Shoots
• 4 pieces pork longganisa (the garlicky regional kind - Vigan, Lucban, to name a few)
• OR 1/8 kilo ground pork, mixed with minced garlic, salt, and ground pepper
• egg, beaten lightly
• flour or cornstarch 
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• salt and pepper to taste (optional)

How to Cook:

• Prepare the bamboo shoots. Typically, some markets sell this already prepared (my mom prefers to buy the actual shoot because it's cheaper), but the cuts may be a little too big for your meatballs, so you can chop it more depending on your preference. Next, boil the bamboo shoots for about 30 minutes, drain and allow it to cool. When already cool, squeeze out excess water. Best to do this hours before you cook your meatballs, or maybe the night before.
• Prepare the meatballs. Loosen up the shreds of bamboo shoots and add everything in - seasoned ground pork or longganisa (be sure to take out the casing if you're using longganisa), egg, oyster sauce, flour or cornstarch, salt and pepper. Mix everything until all ingredients are well incorporated.
• Heat a pan with a little oil and fry a pinch of the mixture and taste it. Adjust the seasoning of your meatballs mix if needed, then shape mixture into balls. 
• Deep fry the balls until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with ketchup.

I remember, when Aunt Julie served this at the party, her friends thought it was chicken because the bamboo shoots did look a lot like flaked chicken. While it had more bamboo shoots than meat, it still had this meaty taste to it, making this one a good way to minimize the meat intake. One thing I noticed though, the balls can be a little too chewy, so it's best to serve this with some soup.

I am not sure if I can pick another recipe from my Aunt when we travel back there considering we will be attending a wedding and a baptism party the next day, but if she prepares something unique, I'll take note of it and share it here on the blog.

Happy Friday!