Sweet and Sour Pork Balls

Sue Lau's Note:

One of my daughter's fav meals.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

For The Meat

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1⁄3; cup cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

For The Sauce

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1⁄3; cup dry sherry
• 1⁄3; cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1⁄3; cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

For The Stirfry

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup canned pineapple chunks in syrup
• 1 large onion , coarsely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper , coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots , cut into julienne strips
• hot steamed rice

Directions:

1. Mix pork with sesame oil, then add cornstarch, egg and soy sauce, ensuring that each is well encorporated.
2. Prepare walnut-sized meatballs (keeping hands wet helps keep meat from sticking so bad) and store them on a plate.
3. Prepare sauce by mixing cornstarch with cold water, then adding each of dry sherry, soy sauce, tomato paste, sugar, vinegar, and the liquid from the pineapple, making sure mixture is well blended.
4. Heat oil in your wok and cook the meatballs until they are browned and cooked through; remove with a slotted spoon and drain.
5. Add the onion, green pepper, and carrots to the oil in the wok, and stir-fry until they are crisp-tender.
6. Briefly stir sauce before adding to pan, and bring all to a boil, stirring continuously.
7. Add the meatballs and the pineapple, and stir-fry for several minutes more until everything is thickened and heated through; adjust thickening with cornstarch and water to your taste, if necessary.
8. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Reviews

[Evie*]

Very tasty! The sesame oil gives the meatballs a wonderful flavor. Recipe doesnt say how much water to use with the cornstarch, I used 1 tsp.The sauce didn't need any more thickening. Thanks for posting. =)

[* Pamela *]

A great dish! I found that the sesame oil added a really nice flavour to the meat. I had a bit of trouble getting the meat to stick together when I was frying the pork balls, but it turned out ok. I think next time I may bake the meatballs ahead of time in the oven and freeze them already baked, I think that would make it a great "make ahead" meal. The sauce was very good and the vegetables were a perfect blend of flavours.

[SilentCricket]

The first things my DH said as he walked through the door was, "Something smells good!" Then, after the meal he said I should add this to my cooking repertoire! Plus, both he and my youngest daughter has seconds! So, your recipe was a hit! I didn't have sesame seed oil, nor dry sherry, nor tomato paste. So, I added a little ground ginger to the meat mixture; used apple juice instead of the sherry, and used ketchup instead of the tomato paste (I skipped the white wine vinegar, since ketchup has vinegar in it) I also substituted celery for the green pepper, since green peppers aren't my family's favorite. Anyway, the flavor may have been completely different from the original recipe, but it was a success and I credit you for the inspiration! I plan on trying it again...with the sesame seed oil, tomato paste...etc! YUM!