Sticky Chinese Five Spice Meatballs

These Chinese five spice meatballs are so tasty with their aromatic flavours and sticky sauce. I had no idea how popular Asian pork meatball recipes were when I came up with this recipe, so I was surprised to discover so many out there! However, this recipe is different in a number of ways, so I think it’s definitely one to compete on flavour. I certainly will be making it many more times myself. How is it different? Firstly, I prefer to put the ginger and garlic in the sauce rather than in the meatballs, so they cook through well. The meatballs in my recipe are aromatically flavoured with authentic white pepper and the wonderful Chinese five spice. Also, the sauce is a combination of ginger and honey, offset with Chinese black vinegar, that reduces to a tasty stickiness around the aromatic pork meatballs.

Most of the effort in this recipe is mixing and shaping the pork meatballs, which should only take about 10 minutes, then the cooking time is very short in a hot wok. You will want to start by getting some rice on to cook as that will likely take longer than meatballs.

Notes on the ingredients of Sticky Chinese Five Spice Pork Meatballs

• Lean Pork Mince is only 5% fat and very low in saturated fat, so it is a very healthy source of protein and essential nutrients. It is also very cheap; currently only £2.59 in Sainsburys, Tesco and Aldi.
• White Pepper is often seen as old-fashioned in the UK, but it is commonly used in Chinese recipes. It is more aromatic and delicate than black pepper. If you don’t have white pepper, you can add more of the five spice powder for a sweeter and more aromatic flavour to your pork meatballs.
• Spring Onions I tend to keep some sliced spring onions in my freezer so they are always to hand.
• Dark Soy Sauce – I specify dark soy sauce because it is sweeter than light soy sauce, and it’s the sticky sweetness that you want for this recipe. Light sauce tastes saltier and less sweet, so you can just add a bit of extra honey if you are using light soy sauce.
• Chives you can add some chives to garnish the dish, but it’s not essential to the flavour.
• Chinese Five Spice – you can try any brand, but I’m currently working my way through the Waitrose Cooks Ingredients Chinese Five Spice
• Chinese Black Vinegar – this is a wonderful ingredient to have in your store cupboard, and can be bought cheaply in Asian supermarkets. However, it’s not something that’s easy to get in the regular shops, so you could substitute with rice wine vinegar, or just leave out and the recipe will still be good.
• Sriracha – I have added Sriracha, but you can add anything that adds a tiny kick of spice such as another hot sauce, chilli paste or just a pinch of chilli flakes.

What to serve with Sticky Chinese Five Spice Pork Meatballs

• Serve with some white rice and steamed vegetables such as edamame and kale, simply dressed with sesame oil and sea salt.
• These pork meatballs could go with any Chinese or Asian foods such as dim sum, spring rolls, noodles, stir-fried vegetables or stir-fried rice.

Ingredients

• 1- 2 tbsp Cold-Pressed Rapeseed oil

For the meatballs

• 500 g Lean Pork Mince
• 1/4 tsp White Pepper
• 1 tsp Five Spice
• 2 tsp Cornflour
• 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Sriracha
• 1/4 Tsp Fine Table Salt

For the glaze

• 2-3 cloves Garlic
• 4cm piece of Ginger
• 3 Spring Onions
• 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Chinese Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds

Instructions 

• Mix together all the meatball ingredients thoroughly. You may need to get your hands in to really mix all the flavours together well. Then shape the mixture into small balls, roughly 3cm in size, and place them on a plate.
• Mix together the honey and other liquids with 1 tbsp of water so it is ready for when you need it.
• Grate the ginger and garlic finely, and finely slice the spring onions.
• Heat the wok to a medium high heat and quickly toast the sesame seeds until starting to colour. Remove the seeds from the wok and set aside.
• Add one tbsp of the oil to the work and turn up to a high heat. Once the work is very hot, add the meatballs. Gently turn them in the hot oil using tongs, being careful not to break them up, until all the sides are sealed and nicely golden brown in places. Remove the pork meatballs from the wok.
• You may need to add a touch more oil to the pan at this point, then add the garlic, ginger and spring onions and cook over the high heat, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds, then add the liquids you mixed previously and return the meatballs. Keep moving carefully for about 5 minutes until the pork meatballs are thoroughly cooked through and the liquid becomes a sticky glaze.