Chinese Pork meatballs: Char Seiw like charring on the edges with flavors hitting notes of sweet and salty in each that are ideal for a delicious appetizer in 20 minutes.
I’m super excited to share today’s recipe for Chinese Pork meatballs with you. It’s a recipe from one of my foodie friends Charmaine Ferrara who writes at Wok and Skillet. Char has been working on a cookbook which will be released this month called “The Healthy Wok.” A cookbook about simple, healthy versions of your favorite takeout meals.
This Chinese Pork Meatballs recipe is one I was able to test while she was developing the recipes for the book. I had the easy part: while she was creating over 85 recipes for pure delicious enjoyment,our family got to test out three other recipes in the book (Mongolian Beef and Chow fun.)
Each time I cooked from it my family and friends raved about them. It goes without saying we ENJOYED them all.
If you love Chinese food this book is a must for your collection. There hasn’t been any takeout in our house since the advance copy arrived because I have been serving so many of the recipes from the book.
Included in the book are all of your favorite choices for Chinese food with a healthy spin on them. All of the recipes are using ingredients that are easily found at your local grocery store.
Every single dish tastes like they are from a restaurant. All are easily made with straight forward instructions that everyone can make. My 14 year old niece was able to follow one with success and she’s just learning to cook!
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.)
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. These were recommended to make in a wok to allow for a slight Char Siew charred crust and I wasn’t disappointed.
ALTERNATIVE TIP: You could also make them in a skillet if you don’t have a wok, 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 for you to purchase your own, or to give your favorite someone a cookbook they will use for years to come. (Not a sponsored link, I simply love sharing a healthy version of Chinese takeout recipes!
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)
- 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
-
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.
-
In a wok 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.
-
Serving Tip
For a heavenly dipping sauce, combine equal parts
low-sodium soy sauce and honey.
All recipe calorie information was calculated on what I purchased to make this recipe in My Fitness Pal. 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.
Madi says
I have to make these soon! I love meatballs and the chinese spin sounds so good!
Michele @ Bacon Fatte says
Ooh! I just Pinned this recipe earlier this week, and now I’m seeing it again… Must be a sign. I need to make these meatballs soon!
Deanna says
Ohhh this looks yummy!! I love meatballs but admit never had an Asian one. That is about to change! I can’t wait to try this!
Sabena Oliver says
Hi, can I bake these?
Michele says
I think they would work fine baked…. Depending on the size… Id try 275° for 15 minutes, then cut into one to see if they are done, or need to be cooked a little longer. ~ Michele
Jennifer A Stewart says
I could make a meal out of meatballs and this glaze is making me drool! That hint of Chinese 5 spice really amps up the flavor!!
Michaela Kenkel says
I could make these little beauties my whole meal!! Thank you for always giving such a wide assortment of recipes on your site. There is always something new and delicious to try!
Sandra Shaffer says
These meatballs are simple and super flavorful! These are perfect little appetizer or heck, this could be my complete meal!
debi at Life Currents says
I’m really interested in this cookbook now. I mean, these meatballs look like reason enough to buy the cookbook. And the sauce on these sounds great!
Sonia says
I just cooked those meatballs, but added half a cup of oats instead of starch, and added chopped capsicum and also large tbsp of corriander paste. I also rolled them in panko crumbs, they were yum. My sauce was a lime, coconut asian sauce.
Michele says
That sauce you used sounds great Sonia! ~michele
Lisa@Lisa's Dinnertime Dish says
These meatballs look delicious and sound so flavorful! They would be great party food!
Debra C. says
These meatballs are so moist, I know they will be amazing! Yes, I definitely need to add this cookbook to my collection!!
Christina Morris says
I made these tonight when I had to change dinner very quickly from Italian (ran out of tomato sauce), to Oriental. They were very good – I’m not big on meatballs per set because I’m not a big lover of red meat – but we all enjoyed these, including me. Great recipe. Thank you.
Michele says
Thanks so much Christina! Im glad you enjoyed them! 😊
Amy says
Made these last night with meatloaf meat mixture. Made into full dinner. Served with rice and Asian Cucumber salad. So delicious!!
Michele says
I love the idea of them for a full dinner! I’ll have to try that too! ~m
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
Hitting the notes of sweet and salty in every bite is what my taste buds crave. These sound amazing! Love the meatballs and I’m anxious to check out the cookbook!
Samantha says
They were the okay. If I make it again, I’ll try it with ground beef/pork 50/50.
Michele says
That would work too! the beef will give a slightly stronger flavor. ~m
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
Such a flavorful recipe.
Michele says
They are packed full of flavor, they hit on all sides too,… sweet, salty, umami!
Kristen M Chidsey says
These meatballs look great. I can never have enough meatball recipes.
Linda says
I love meatballs in general and I like to experiment with new influences and flavors! This recipe looks incredibly tasty and I will have to give it a try as soon as possible. Thanks for the inspiration!
Michele says
Im glad you like it Linda! We really enjoyed it too! ~m
Rebecca | Let's Eat Cake says
Love the idea of making healthy Chinese meatballs at home! And, while totally not traditional, I bet these would be great in pasta as well. Thanks for sharing!
Michele says
Now I want to give that a whirl! It would be so different with the sweet sauce too!~M
Nicola @ Happy Healthy Motivated says
These meatballs look amazing! I bet they’re super juicy on the inside, but just the right amount of crisp on the outside. Yum!
Michele says
the crispy edge…. yep, thats my new addiction~. ~m
Suzy says
These meatballs look fantastic! Great twist.