Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs

4/5 (2)
Difficulty:
Medium
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
20 mins
Yields:
4 servings
Calories:
326
Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballså Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballså

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sake
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 can pineapple (20 oz)
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 onion

Cookware

  • Knife
  • Cutting board
  • Mixing bowl
  • Skillet
  • Spatula

Quick Directions

  1. Grate ginger, then mix with pork, soy sauce, sake, cornstarch and salt. Shape into 16 balls.
  2. Slice veggies.
  3. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add meatballs and cook until bottom is browned.
  4. Flip meatballs and brown the other side.
  5. Add onion and pepper and cook 5 minutes until veggies are softened. Add pineapple.
  6. Mix remaining ingredients in small bowl. Add to pan and cook 5 minutes with lid on. Remove lid and cook another 10 minutes until sauce is reduced.

The Story

Sweet and sour pork, or su buta (vinegar pork) in Japanese, is a Japanese take on a classic Chinese dish. Instead of using fried pork, try this lighter variation with pork meatballs instead!

While it’s definitely one of my favorites, I’ve always felt that sweet and sour pork relies too heavily on the sauce and not enough on the meat. Too often I’ve been served very bland pork heavily coated in sauce, to the point where I feel like I’m really just tasting sauce. While delicious, it’s not very interesting to the palate. To bring a good balance of texture and flavor, I like to use meatballs instead of sliced pork to give a new twist to the dish! Plus, I can never pass up a good meatball. And without the frying, it’s better for you too!

What I love most about these meatballs is that are just so good! Mixed with a little bit of ginger and a little bit of soy sauce, they taste so light and savory, a beautiful combination! They are so good, I could just eat them on their own, and in fact, you can! This recipe is easy to adapt, so if you’re looking to serve them as a snack or an appetizer instead of a main meal, just leave out the veggies and have a big plate of meatballs instead! (don’t forget the toothpicks!)

Recipe – Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs: 

– Peel and grate the ginger, then add to a small bowl with the ground pork. Add the soy sauce, sake, cornstarch and salt and let sit for 20 minutes.
Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballså

– Using a spoonful at a time, shape the meat into meatballs. The meatballs should be around 2 inches wide, and when finished you should have about 16 balls.
Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballså

– Prepare the veggies by slicing the bell pepper and onion into large chunks.
Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballså

– Put a large skillet on the burner over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and when hot add the meatballs. Let them cook for a few minutes to brown on the bottom.
Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballså

– Once browned, flip the meatballs over to brown the other side as well.
Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballså

– Once the bottom is nice and browned, add the onion and pepper and cook for a few more minutes.
Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballså

– Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and stir well. Once the cornstarch is fully mixed, add the sauce to the pan as well as the pineapple.

Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballså

– Cover and let cook for 5 minutes. Remove lid and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced by half.

Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballså

 

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