Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs

Make your own sweet and sour pork
instead of getting a take away

These sweet and sour pork meatballs can be made up in less time than it takes to wait for a take away to be delivered.

If we do get a take away I always go for sweet and sour pork, it's my favourite especially the thick sauce but there is only ever one sad bit of pineapple floating in it which invariably causes a fight and as lovely as it is, I'm always left wondering what exactly makes the sauce from the take away quite so neon in colour?

Richmond meatballs
cook from frozen in ten mins

I've discovered it's really very easy to make your own sweet and sour sauce (with pineapple for everyone) throw in some pork meatballs and boiled rice and you can recreate your favourite takeaway in no time.

I like that these little meatballs from Richmond can be cooked from frozen because I'm always forgetting to take the meat out to defrost in time for dinner which is usually when we would end up reaching for the take away menus...




Ingredients serves 4
20 pork meatballs
1 small tin of pineapple in juice
1 sliced red pepper
2 sliced spring onions for garnish
Fried or boiled rice to serve

Sauce
50ml pineapple juice from the tin
150ml rice vinegar
1 + 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

You can substitute rice vinegar with white vinegar, the flavour is not as mellow but it still works.

Fry the sliced peppers and meatballs with a little oil in a large frying pan.
Slice the pineapples and set aside
Mix the cornflour and pineapple juice into a paste

the sauce is naturally darkened by the sugar and soy

In a small saucepan add the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar.
Warm over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves, it will take around 1 minute.
Add the pineapple paste, lime juice and chilli flakes, stir then allow to thicken and come to the boil.
This takes around 4 minutes, the thick sauce will easily coat spoon. This consistency is perfect as it clings very nicely to the peppers and meatballs.

coat the meatballs by tossing them in the sweet and sour sauce

Add the pinapple pieces to the frying pan then pour in the boiling sauce
Toss the vegetables and meat in the sauce to coat them in the sauce
Serve over boiled rice and sprinkle with the diced spring onions

Sweet & Sour Pork Meatballs

This post is an entry for Britmums' Hungry To Happy Challenge sponsored by Richmond Mini Meat Balls.

*Richmond provided their meatballs for this recipe challenge