Place ground meat in large bowl and lightly salt and pepper it (about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper). Add the rest of the meatball ingredients (basil through cornstarch) and mix together thoroughly with your hands.Roll the mix into golf ball sized balls (~ 1 inch) and place on a plastic-wrapped plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so until they are firm. **Adding plastic wrap under meatballs makes it easier to transfer to baking sheet without tearing them (it’s optional).
1 Lb ground meat, 1 Teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 Cup fresh basil, 4 Cloves garlic, 3 scallions (green onions), 1 Tablespoon fish sauce, 1 Tablespoon hot chili sauce, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 2 Teaspoons corn starch
When ready to make soup, place meatballs on baking sheet and bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes, or until browned. They will cook a little longer in the soup, so don’t overbake them.Remove meatballs to paper towels or plate (they may not be cooked all the way through yet).
To a large saucepan or dutch oven, add chicken broth and rest of soup ingredients (broth through coconut milk). **Note: it makes a big difference to use coriander seeds and cardamom pods and grind them fresh.Stir all together and heat up to a simmer. Simmer soup 5-10 minutes or until it is the thickness you desire, tasting and adding salt if necessary.