These tangy meatballs are coated with a thick homemade sweet and sour sauce and make for a delicious and light appetiser or a main dish for a sit-down dinner.
To personalise these meatballs, use your preferred choice of ground meat together with your favourite spices or flavourings, and then slather on your favourite sauce. What’s not to love?
If you use skinless and boneless chicken thighs, the meatballs will always be juicy and moist.
The sweet and sour source is addictive, made of ketchup, Thai sweet chili sauce, and a little soy sauce and vinegar to bring out the perfect balance of sweet, sour and savoury.
Ingredients
Meatball
- 12 oz (340g) ground chicken (or ground pork if you prefer)
- 1cm piece of peeled ginger, finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
- 1 pinch salt
- oil for pan-frying
Sweet and sour sauce
- 1/2 small onion, quartered
- 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
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine the ground meat with ginger, garlic, five-spice powder (if using), sesame oil, pepper and salt.
- Stir to combine well.
- Wet both hands with a little water and shape into 24 meatballs. Set aside.
- Heat up a wok or skillet with some oil, pan-fry the meatballs until they turn light to golden brown.
- Drain them on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Clean the wok or skillet. Heat it up with a little oil.
- Add the onion and do a few quick stirs.
- Add the sweet and sour sauce and cook until thickened, then add the meatballs.
- Stir to coat well with the sauce. Dish out and serve immediately.
This recipe can be found in Rasa Malaysia.
Low Bee Yinn is a food blogger and cookbook author.