Sweet And Sour Pork Meatballs With Marmalade Glaze

20 minute super tasty sweet and sour meatballs with a sticky marmalade glaze are just perfect for a midweek meal. These easy homemade Asian inspired pork meatballs are packed with flavour and super easy to make.

Why you’ll love these meatballs

They are so quick to make, 20 minutes!

The sweet and sour flavour appeals to all the family.

You can serve these sweet and sour meatballs with everything from noodles to rice, mashed potatoes to polenta.

What type of meat to use

While I have used pork for my sweet and sour meatballs you could just as easily use lamb, beef, chicken or turkey mince (ground meat).

It’s always nice to be able to chop and change things a bit with a recipe and these meatballs are just perfect for that.

Let’s go through the ingredients for these meatballs

Minced pork (ground pork), though as I’ve already said feel free to use any meat you like for these meatballs. I love the combination of the sweet and sour marmalade glaze with pork.

I’m packing in the Asian flavours for these meatballs with coriander, garlic, ginger and chilli. Then add in some lime and orange for that fabulous citrus zing.

And for depth of flavour there is Chinese 5 Spice plus soy sauce and fish sauce.

How to make sweet and sour pork meatballs

This is a one-bowl wonder. Don’t you just love recipes that mean as little washing up as possible?

All you have to do for this meatball recipe is bring all your ingredients together in a nice bow bowl and get your hands in there to really mix things up thoroughly.

There is something really quite relaxing and cathartic about making meatballs. Squishing all the ingredients together while the aroma of the spices and citrus rise up and fill you with anticipation of the tasty meal ahead.

Once the mixture is really well combined simply pull off pieces of the meat mix and roll into balls about the size of a walnut.

Now pop them in the fridge just for half an hour to firm up a little and so that the flavours can really develop and mingle together.

Heat the grill/broiler and grill the meatballs for about 8 minutes turning half way through the grilling time till they are golden and cooked through.

Make the marmalade glaze

Meanwhile make that sweet and savoury marmalade glaze by mixing together marmalade, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli flakes in a small pan.

Heat gently till the marmalade has all melted and you get a deliciously fragrant sauce. This only takes a few minutes to make so you can easily be making the sauce while the meatballs are under the grill.

Brush the sauce over the meatballs and return them to the grill for a final 2 minutes till the marmalade glaze is bubbling and sticky.

What type of marmalade to use

I have used my homemade whisky and ginger marmalade for the glaze on these sweet and sour meatballs. But I have also used by hot and spicy red pepper marmalade and my orange pomegranate, ginger and mint marmalade in this recipe as well.

Actually, my orange and cranberry marmalade is a real go-to for sweet and sour turkey meatballs. Mediterranean fig and lemon marmalade is just perfect for chicken meatballs.

Serving suggestions

I love these sweet and sour savoury meatballs with simple boiled basmati rice.

They work equally well with noodles and lots of chopped spring onions.

I also love any meatballs with mashed potatoes or polenta. There is something so comforting about meatballs nestling in a bowl of creamy mash.

These sweet and sour meatballs make a great party nibble or appetiser too. Serve them on a platter with cocktail sticks and maybe an extra little bowl of the marmalade glaze to dip them into.

Tip

Make extra sweet and sour pork meatballs as they are great stuffed into pitta breads or bread rolls with some salad and maybe some homemade tzatziki for a super easy lunch nest day.

Make ahead

You can make these Asian style meatballs 24 hours before you want to serve them. Just put the uncooked meatballs in a box in the fridge till you are ready to serve supper and you will have it on the table in 10 minutes flat.

Storing these meatballs

You can store the cooked meatballs in the fridge for up to 4 days in a covered container. Either eat them cold or reheat till piping hot.

And of course you can freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer-proof box. Just defrost thoroughly before use.

Looking for more tasty meatball recipes? Then check these out before you go;

Greek fried meatballs (Keftedes)

Meatballs in tomato sauce (Soutzoukakia)

Quick and easyy lamb koftas with yogurt sauce

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.