These meatballs are a slightly different take on the giant pork meatballs so popular in China. They are inspired by Chinese barbecue pork, or char siew, and their smaller size means they can be pan-fried in a wok. The five-spice powder infuses the char siew with its unmistakable flavor, and I love charring the outside just a bit for that seared barbecue crispness.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 2 pinches ground white pepper
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
Sauce
- Green onions or chives for garnish (cut green ends to get tiny circles
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons sriracha sauce (optional)
- Green onions or chives for garnish
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| Chinese Pork Meatballs |
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the pork, cornstarch, ginger,garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and pepper, and mix well.
- Roll 1 heaping tablespoon of pork mixture into a ball and continue until all the pork mixture is used. (about 20 small meatballs)
- In a wok or skillet over medium heat, heat the peanut oil. Using a wok spatula, spread the oil to coat enough of the wok surface to fry about 10 meatballs at a time. Lower the meatballs into the wok in batches.
- Cook without moving for about 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are cooked through. Use the spatula to carefully rotate the meatballs to cook on the other sides.
- Keep rotating the meatballs gently until cooked through.
- Sauce
- Combine all ingredients except garnish and stir to mix well. Sriracha sauce can be adjusted to get as spicy as you wish.
- Cut chiffonade (small circles from green onion to float in sauce.) Serve sauce in dipping bowls on the side, and/or drizzle lightly over the top of meatballs. Sprinkle additional green onion circles over the top for presentation.
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