Asian Meatballs: Chinese Pork Meatballs (Char Siew style)

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! 

Sign up for the mailing list here where it says “join the west via midwest community” for more recipes for entertaining without any stress!

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Yield: 20 meatballs

Chinese Pork Meatballs

Print

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.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

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

1. In a large bowl, combine the pork, cornstarch, ginger,garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and pepper, and mix well.
2. Roll 1 heaping tablespoon of pork mixture into a ball and continue until all the pork mixture is used. (about 20 small meatballs)
3. 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.
4.  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.
5. Keep rotating the meatballs gently until cooked through.

Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients except garnish and stir to mix well.  Sriracha sauce can be adjusted to get as spicy as you wish.  
2. 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

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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.

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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:

20

Serving Size:

20 meatballs
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 91Carbohydrates: 1gProtein: 6g

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