When we used their original name of “Fish Balls” these tasty vegetable-filled balls were greeted with a bit of resistance by a few of our reluctant-to-eat clients. Their new name comes from a Mr. 6 year old who designed the name based on the white and black sesame seeds resemblance to his favourite ball game.
These are also a great recipe for kids to help make. Depending on their age and skills tasks such as mashing, mixing, grating or rolling can provide them with exposure to different ingredients and life-skills.
Enjoy.
Ingredients
300 g yellow sweet potato (about 250g once peeled)
1x 400g tuna in spring water
1/2 onion, diced
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons rolled oats
1 x zucchini
1 x carrot
100mL Greek Yoghurt
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
White and Black sesame seeds
Harissa or cumin as desired
Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
1. Peel sweet potato. Dice into cubes and steam until soft.
2. Mash sweet potato and place into a medium sized mixing bowl (** great tasks for the mini-chefs)
3. Grate carrot and zucchini and place into bowl with sweet potato (** other great tasks for the mini-chefs)
4. Drain tuna. Add to the vegetable mixture.
5. Diced onion and lightly fry in a small pan until soft. Add onion to the vegetable and tuna mixture.
6. Add rolled oats (** you can get the kids to measure this), egg yolk, parsley and yoghurt to the tuna and vegetables. Mix well (** kids love mixing, just make sure everything is well combined when they are done).
7. Place sesame seeds into a small bowl.
8. Using a tablespoon, take scoops of the mixture and roll into balls (about the size of ping-pong ball).
9. Roll the balls in the sesame seeds and place on a baking tray lined with baking-paper or lightly oiled.
10. Bake balls for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
Serving ideas:
– Great as an alternative to sandwiches in lunchboxes
– Serve as a main meal with a side of home-made baked potato chips and salad
– Serve as a mid-meal for an alternative to regular processed snacks
– Keep with the soccer theme and serve sitting on cooked bok-choy (“grass”) and next to “trees” of broccoli. Avocado-dip could also be incorporated into this theme
– Serve with a dollop of Mayo, Greek Yoghurt or Avocado Dip