Asian Pork Meatballs
Tender, juicy, flavourful Asian pork meatballs coated with a rich, glossy, umami-packed sweet and tangy sauce. So mouthwatering good! The tanginess of the sauce makes these meatballs super appetising and will get your tastebuds dancing!
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Servings: 5 people
Calories: 291kcal
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon cooking oil canola or sunflower
Pork meatballs
- 500 g /1lbs pork mince ideally fatty (note 1)
- ¼ cup spring onions/scallions finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoon shaoxing wine
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
Tangy caramel sauce
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce Use good quality (note 2)
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup cold water
To serve
- finely sliced spring onions or sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine all pork meatball ingredients and mix continuously in one direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise) with a pair of chopsticks or a fork. About 2 - 3 minutes.
- In a large skillet or non-stick pan, add cooking oil and bring the pan up to medium-low heat then form bite-sized meatballs with your hands, adding them into the pan as each is formed. (note 3) Brown and caramelise both sides of meatballs then remove and set aside. Meatballs do not have to be cooked at this point.
- Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in two batches.
- Turn the heat off and in the same pan (no need to wash), add dark soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and sesame oil. Turn the heat back on to low heat and bring the sauce up to a low simmer. About 1 minute.
- Add meatballs back into the pan and gently coat with sauce with a spoon or flipping them.
- Mix cornstarch with cold water until cornstarch has disolved, pour into the pan. Mix the sauce with a wooden spoon until the sauce is thick and glossy.
- Serve once meatballs are cooked, sprinkle with spring onions and/or sesame seeds.
Notes
Note 1. Fatty pork mince is ideal as it's the key factor to juicy meatballs! Look for ones that are about 15% fat. The liquid in shaoxing wine will help make them juicy but the main player here is the fat content.
Note 2. Use quality soy sauces especially dark soy sauces. When it comes to soy sauces, you get what you pay for. It's something that lasts quite a long time so do invest in quality soy sauces. The differences in flavour are huuuge! If in doubt, pick the more expensive bottle. Otherwise, ask the staff at the Asian grocer, they'll be able to help you out. My favourite brands are Wan Ja Shan (their Premium Aged Soy Sauce is the best!) and Kimlan. Both are usually available at most Asian grocers. This is not a sponsored shout out.
Note 3. Add meatballs into the pan clockwise placing from the outer rim of the pan then work your way in the middle. When it's time to turn the meatballs, start from the first meatball that hit the pan then work your way around. This will help ensure even browning of meatballs.
Cooking in bulk this recipe makes a generous amount of sauce and since it's punchy and rich in flavour, it'll be unlikely that all of it will be consumed. It'll cover another batch of meatballs if you want to cook in bulk and freeze for a rainy day!
Leftovers/freezing keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Nutritional value calculated based on all ingredients used, assuming all sauces are consumed (most likely won't be the case).
Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!
Nutrition
Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.8g | Protein: 16.9g | Fat: 19.5g | Saturated Fat: 6.5g | Sodium: 708mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 6.3g | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg