Sweet and Sour Meatballs
These easy sweet and sour meatballs are a total game-change, with a tangy, sweet homemade sauce. Perfect as a quick appetizer or paired with your main dish, they’re easy to make and always a hit at family dinners or gatherings. Once you try them, they’ll become a go-to recipe!
Servings: 3 people
Ingredients
- 12 oz ground pork or ground chicken
- ½ inch ginger peeled, finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder optional
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
- 1 pinch salt
- oil for pan-frying
- ½ small onion quartered
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinese rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together all the sweet and sour sauce ingredients and set aside. Combine the ground pork or chicken with ginger, garlic, five-spice powder (if using), sesame oil, pepper, and salt. Stir until well combined. Wet both hands with water and shape the mixture into 24 meatballs. Set aside.
- Heat a wok or skillet with some oil and pan-fry the meatballs until they turn light golden brown. Drain them on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Clean the wok or skillet and heat it with a little oil. Add the onion and stir quickly for a few moments. Pour in the sweet and sour sauce and cook until it thickens, then add the meatballs. Stir well to coat the meatballs with the sauce. Dish out and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you love extra saucy meatballs (who doesn’t?), simply double the sauce ingredients. It’s perfect for serving over rice or noodles.
- When shaping the meatballs, I keep my hands wet to prevent the mixture from sticking. It makes rolling them so much easier.
- I like to take my time pan-frying the meatballs until they’re golden brown. That crispy exterior locks in all the juiciness, making every bite extra delicious.
- To get the sauce just right, I let it simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. If it’s too thick, I add a splash of water. If it’s too thin, I let it cook a little longer.
Nutrition
Serving: 3people | Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 394mg | Potassium: 400mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 61IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg