Sweet and Sour Meatballs

One thing I try very hard is not to waste food, this could be more difficult if you have a picky eater at home, but that’s not my case. I teach a lot of online cooking classes and I try to get just enough ingredients for 1 or 2 servings for my recipes. I’m glad my last class actually worked, I got to use my leftover ground pork for this recipe.

I baked these meatballs using a cooling rack. I find that when I use the rack to bake the meat, they brown evenly. The rack helps circulate the heat and you’ll get even baking on both sides of the meat. Make sure to generously spray the rack and baking sheet pan with cooking spray.

Let’s start cooking!

Recipe:

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Baked spicy meatballs in sweet and sour sauce.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Servings 6

Equipment

• Wok or wide frying pan
• Cooking spatula
• baking sheet pan
• Bake rack
• Small Ice cream scoop

Ingredients

  

FOR THE MEATBALLS

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/4 cup Panko breading
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped scallion
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon Gojuchang
• salt and pepper

FOR THE STIR-FRY VEGGIES

• 1 medium size carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons oil

FOR THE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar or palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon chili paste, I used Harissa chili paste

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375º. Generously spray a cooling rack with cooking spray and place it onto a baking sheet pan.
• For the meatballs:

  In a bowl, combine ground pork, egg, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, Panko breading, cilantro, scallion, sesame oil, soy sauce, Sriracha, Gojuchang, a little salt, and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
• Scoop the meatball mixture, place it in between your palm, and form a ball. Place the meatballs onto the prepared cooling rack. Bake for 35 minutes or until the inside temperature reaches 160ºF. Set aside.
• For the sweet and sour sauce:

  In a measuring glass, combine chicken stock, soy sauce, sugar, honey, rice vinegar, cornstarch, and chili paste. Use a whisk and stir until well incorporated and the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Set aside.
• For the stir-fry veggies:

  Heat a pan with oil, add the onion, saute until tender or translucent. Add garlic, ginger, carrot, and bell pepper, stir to combine well. Stir the sweet and sauce again, then add to the pan, stir, simmer for 3 minutes. Add the baked meatballs into the simmering sauce, let them simmer for another 3 minutes, or until well heated. Serve warm with steamed rice.

Notes

• I use avocado oil for the dishes that require frying with a high smoke point. You can also use vegetable or peanut oil. 
• Gojuchang is a Korean fermented chili paste that adds so much flavor to your dish. 
• Most of these ingredients can be found in the Asian aisle of your grocery store. 

Keyword gochujan, meatballs, soysauce, sweet and sour, veggies

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