Sunday, 11 March 2012

Lip Smacking Sweet and Tangy Meatballs


This is a simple, hassle free, Chinese family favourite. It is perfect comfort food and great fun to make with friends and family.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

70g groundnut oil

70ml water

15g corn flour

500g pork mince

1 egg

15g finely grated ginger

2 table spoons Shaoxing cooking wine

5g Chinese five spice powder

1g finely ground black pepper

5g salt

3g sugar
  
For the Sauce:

150g tomato ketchup

20g black rice vinegar

50g sugar

2g salt

80ml water

15g corn flour

1 or 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic for garnishing

Preparation

1. Begin by preparing the meatballs. Dissolve 15g of corn flour in 70ml of water and thoroughly mix in the rest of the meatball ingredients except for the groundnut oil (which is used for frying the meatballs). Roll the mixture by hand in to balls of roughly 15g each.

2. Place the groundnut oil in a wok over a medium heat and fry the meatballs until they turn golden brown (a 15g meatball will take 5-6 minutes). Remove the meatballs and cover with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. 

3. Next, prepare the sauce. Mix together the tomato ketchup, black rice vinegar, salt and sugar with 60ml of water and simmer on a medium heat. Dissolve the corn flour in the remaining 20ml of water, add to the sauce and then bring to the boil for roughly 1 minute until reduced to a shiny, sticky consistency. 

4. Stir in the meatballs and heat through before serving with a sprinkling of finely chopped garlic.