Buon Appetito!!

Today I’ve made a comparison between 3 brands of beef balls: imported, and locally produced from West and East Msia.

Kottbullar Swedish Meatballs (IKEA)
texture: chunky, rough
poached: √√
baked: √√√
price: RM15.90 (±500gms)

Marina Beef Balls (Bangi, Selangor)
texture: slightly rough
poached: √√√
baked: √√
price: RM6.29 (370gms/20pcs)

Beef Balls (Kudat, Sabah)
texture: smooth, springy
poached: √
baked: √
price: RM20 (≈61pcs)

The Swedish meatballs, which I was crazy over, turns out to be slightly dry when compare to the other brands if baked (then again, it could be becos of the quality of my oven, as tis is the recomm cooking method). However I do love the chunkiness as it feels real.
[Here's a trick tat I've learned: For baking by using the conventional oven, u could pour a little amount of water on the tray below ur cooking grill, or put into a little ovenproof bowl beneath ur cooking tray. This is too avoid the overdrying effect on the outer part of the food. Be mindful not to put too much water as it would create a steaming effect.]
My latest discovery is the Marina brand beef balls. To my delight, they are actually very good as the texture is just nice for both wet n dry cooking method. The beefy taste is still there, wat’s more – they are fairly priced. I suppose their qc is well maintained too as both the exact nett weight and quantity are printed on the packet, tho not tat I inspect all the product batches..
As for the beef balls from Kudat, I was somehow disappointed. I find it tad too salty. I always feel tat food tat is too spicy or salty usually kills the taste – and thus, no matter how good the food should taste, it’s simply disastrous. But for those who love ur meatballs to be springy, smooth and strongly flavoured then u would love tis product.
There is tis interesting recipe from the Martha Stewart show recently, which I've yet to try out...

To go with my meatballs, I love the Barilla spaghettini or the bavette, or perhaps Ronzoni’s. M not fond of Bella Italia, San Remo’s, nor Agnesi. They are rather soft and dun offer a good bite. On the contrary, Barilla’s perfect al dente.

Buon Appetito!!