Chinese Pork meatballs: Char Seiw like charring on the edges with flavors hitting notes of sweet and salty in each that are ideal for delicious Asian meatball appetizers in about 20 minutes.
When you are looking for fun appetizers these will also go well with Steamed Pork Dumplings and Easy Coconut Shrimp!

Chinese Pork meatballs are full of all of the flavors you love in Chinese food takeout. Salty, sweet, smoky, charred edges with juicy tender pork inside.
You can make them in about 20 minutes in a skillet or a wok so they can be made at the last minute for you or your guest’s enjoyment.
I’m super excited to share this Asian meatball recipe with you. It’s a recipe from one of my foodie friends Charmaine Ferrara who writes at Wok and Skillet.
Char wrote a cookbook called “The Healthy Wok.” A cookbook about simple, healthy versions of your favorite takeout meals.

As most of you know, I kind of have a meatball addiction, thus I have a lot of meatballs on my site (check out a few of them like Gouda Cheese Meatballs, IKEA Copycat Swedish Meatballs, Buffalo Chicken Meatballs and BBQ Bacon blue Cheese meatballs.)
What pork to use for these Meatballs?
This recipe for Chinese Pork Meatballs is the first meatball I’ve made that is primarily made from pork. Pork meatballs tend to be really juicy and full of flavor. For time-saving purposes, I purchased ground pork with full fat.
You can purchase the low-fat option, but I find that when I do that the meatballs are really dry.
Because you cook them in a skillet using the regular ground pork you will be able to leave the fatty oil that cooks out in the skillet.
If you wish to grind your own pork you can use pork belly, pork shoulder or pork butt.
I highly suggest you don’t use a pork loin as there is not near enough fat to pork ratio for juicy tender meatballs.
We have LOTs of easy delicious appetizers — You can find them all right here!

What is Char Siew? (char siu)
Char Seiw (sometimes spelled siu) is a Cantonese dish that translates to “fork roasted.” Usually, there are cut strips of marinated pork skewered then “roasted” over an open flame.
The marinade caramelizes as it cooks. Most times you see it a red color when you get it in dishes at restaurants. (That red color comes from using bean paste in the marinade.)
How to cook Chinese Pork Meatballs
You’ll first want to make the meatballs all in a similar size. I find using a scoop like this one guarantees they are all the same size and shape and thus cook evenly.
The recipe calls for cooking them in a wok, and they were easy to roll around in the wok for even cooking.
ALTERNATIVE TIP: You could also make them in a skillet if you don’t have a wok. I found that a cast iron skillet worked really well. The pan got hot enough to really get a nice sear on the edges and the pork charred very nicely.
Either way, you will love the way the edges almost taste like they have been grilled but when you bite into them they are juicy and flavorful.

Here is the link to Amazon for you to purchase your own, or to give your favorite someone a cookbook they will use for years to come. The healthy recipes can be our secret. No-one will miss the take-out I promise!

Need more Asian Recipes to make at home?
- Coconut Shrimp
- General Tso’s Chicken (also from the Healthy Wok cookbook)
- Sui Mai Dumplings
- Chinese Beef with Broccoli (another recipe from the Healthy Wok Cookbook)

Looking for elegant serving spoons or trays for a party?
- Ceramic Serving Spoons
- Ceramic Square Ramekins
- 3 tiered serving piece for a easy serve your self appetizers
- Simple Rectangular Serving piece
Pin this to your Easy Appetizer Board on Pinterest!
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Chinese Pork Meatballs

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
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.
Notes
All recipe calorie information was calculated on what I purchased to make this recipe. When you make the recipe, the calorie content could vary depending on what specific ingredients/brands you actually use. Please take that into consideration if you are following a strict diet.
The sauce recipe is not from Char's book but from a cooking class I took many years ago with Jet Tila. You may find his recipe on my site under Chinese Pork Dumplings.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
20 meatballsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 91Carbohydrates: 1gProtein: 6g
Soni
Tuesday 8th of September 2020
I made these tonight and loved them.I didn’t have all the ingredients for the sauce, so just mixed soy sauce and sweet soy warmed a little the poured over. tasty and easy. thankyou for sharing.
Michele Hall
Thursday 17th of September 2020
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! And that sauce sounds perfect for it! ~m
Sue McMurtrie
Monday 22nd of June 2020
We tried the Chinese Pork Meatballs were awesome,I adjusted it a bit low sodium soya sauce ,1/2 tsp five spice, 1 T siracha sauce .So good will try some more of your recipes🥰
Michele Hall
Sunday 28th of June 2020
So glad you enjoyed them! We've been doing low sodium in our house recently too....funny how we don't even miss it! ~m
Kathy
Sunday 26th of January 2020
I thought this recipe would be really good to have for the Chinese New Year. All seemed easy, which it was. I should have known better NOT to add so much Fish Sauce (I used what the recipe said). It was far too salty & didn't balance the meatballs. I even made rice to absorb some of the sauce, didn't help. If I do this again, since the meatballs were very good, I will remember to use maybe just a teaspoon of Fish Sauce.
Michele
Friday 14th of February 2020
Kathy~ I know that fish sauce is a LOT like cilantro and people love it or hate it. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you-- I did adjust the notes in the post to mention that if you don't like fish sauce to adjust the measurement to put a lesser amount in. ~m
Carole
Wednesday 1st of January 2020
wonderful! Used vegetable oil instead of peanut oil due to allergy. All my family loved it. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing
Michele
Sunday 5th of January 2020
Thank you for coming back and letting me know! Thank makes my whole day! ~m
Elaine DeFelice
Sunday 3rd of November 2019
WOW I made these today and they are delicious. The meatballs have a great flavor; the dipping sauce is a nice contrast. I served them on the pretty end of chinese napa cabbage that I pickled in white vinegar, water, sugar for 10 min. It looked like petal of goodness. I’m not a great fryer-burn a lot of food, so, I fried them to get coloring/char then baked at 350 for 10 min- give or take. Thanks for a delicious recipe.
Michele
Wednesday 6th of November 2019
I love how you served them.... it sounds perfect! Im so glad you enjoyed them! ~m