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meatballs

Chinese Meatballs

This easy Chinese Meatballs recipe shows you how to make tender and moist meatballs from scratch. Great with rice or noodles.
5 from 2 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Diet: Low Lactose
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 1523kcal
Author: Lei

Ingredients

  • 500 g ground pork lean fat ratio 7:3
  • 1 apple finely diced
  • 4 slices ginger 1cm thick
  • 1/3 cup spring onion chopped
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup rice wine
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
  • 4 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 star anise
  • 500ml oil For deep frying

Instructions

  • Crafting The Meatballs
    Blend for Flavor: Place two slices of ginger, spring onion, and 1/2 cup of water into a blender. Blend until the mixture turns smooth.
    Mix and infuse: In a generously sized bowl, combine the ginger and spring onion juice from the blender with the ground pork, apple, salt, white pepper powder, 1/4 cup of rice wine, 1/4 cup of cornstarch, and sugar. Mix these ingredients thoroughly with a spatula until the liquid is fully integrated.
    Shape with Care: It’s time to give these ingredients their signature form. Carefully shape the mixture into meatballs with your hands as your kitchen tools.
  • Deep Frying the meatballs
    In a non-stick pan over medium heat, heat oil and deep fry the meatballs until they turn a delicious golden brown.
  • Braising the meatballs
    Bring your deep-fried meatballs together with soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 cup of rice wine, 2 ginger slices, star anise, and enough water to just cover them. As the mixture comes to a boil and then simmers for an hour.
    Finish by thickening the sauce with a blend of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water.

Notes

  • The amount of apple and sugar used can be adjusted to your preference. You can experiment with different types of apples to find the perfect balance between sweetness and tartness that suits your taste.
  • This recipe is perfect for preparing ahead. Make a batch, freeze in portions, and warm up whenever you’re ready to enjoy.
  • You can braise them in the slow cooker as described in step three.

Nutrition

Calories: 1523kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 152g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 38g | Monounsaturated Fat: 91g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1089mg | Potassium: 485mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg