Whole30 Sweet And Sour Asian Pork Balls

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This recipe for Whole30 Sweet and Sour Asian Pork Balls is inspired from an earlier post for Wonton Soup.

Whole30 Sweet Sour Asian Pork Ball.

I love the flavor of the wonton filling, but wanted something that would not only be gluten free and low-carb, but Whole30 compliant as well. Once I discovered coconut aminos which is a gluten free and Whole30 compliant substitute for soy sauce, I’ve never looked back. (Even low-sodium soy sauce is still very high in sodium) (affiliate link). The only other ingredient to consider was the brown sugar, but at just 1 teaspoon, I felt that I could omit it, especially since it would be served with a sweet and sour sauce.

Whole30 Sweet Sour Asian Pork Balls
Whole30 Asian Pork Balls with Sweet and Sour Sauce make a great compliant appetizer or burger.

These Asian Pork Sweet and Sour Pork Balls make a great Whole30 compliant appetizer, especially if you’re trying to stay on target over the holidays.

Whole30 Asian Sweet Sour Pork Balls.
Cocktail sized Asian pork balls.

If you’re not interested in bite-sized pork balls, they can easily be made into larger, meal sized portions, or even burger sized patties. Adjust the cooking time by 5 minutes or so, depending on the size.  The sweet and sour sauce is pretty easy. I just warmed and thinned no-sugar added apricot jam with some garlic chili sauce. (Check the label to make sure it’s Whole30 compliant if you’re following the program)

The Sweet and Sour Sauce is simply apricot jam warmed with chili sauce.

My family likes it fairly spicy, so I would suggest starting with 1 teaspoon chile sauce and adjusting to your taste. This recipe makes about 48 cocktail sized Asian Pork Balls, 15 larger meat balls, or 6, 5 ounce, entree sized burger patties.

Whole30 Sweet and Sour Asian Pork Balls are a delicious addition to your Whole30 recipe collection!

Whole30 Sweet Sour Asian Pork Ball.

Whole30 Sweet And Sour Asian Pork Balls

Cynthia
Flavorful Asian pork balls with ginger and garlic make a great appetizer or entree. Serve them with the sugar-free Sweet and Sour Sauce. Makes 48 cocktail sized pork balls or 6-8 patties. 
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground pork, (24 ounces)
  • 1 cup mushrooms, coarsely chopped
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos, (or soy sauce if not gluten free or Whole30)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons ginger root minced
  • 3 green onions, finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup water chestnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup apricot jam, no sugar added
  • 1/2 teaspoons garlic chili sauce or sriracha
  • 1 Tablespoon water or more
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor fitted with a blade, process pork through black pepper, with light pulses, scraping down sides of processor bowl until blended. Mixture should still retain some texture. Pork balls can be made by hand in a bowl, just finely mince all ingredients by hand before combining with minced pork.
  • Form pork into balls, about 1 Tablespoon of pork for cocktail sized pork balls, or about 3 Tablespoons for larger, "meatball" sized portions. For burgers, allow approximately 4-5 ounces per portion. 
  • Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place on parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 15 to 20 minutes depending on size. Pork balls should be cooked through.
  • For sweet and sour sauce, heat apricot jam, water, ginger and chili sauce in a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring until combined and warm. Add more water if necessary to thin to desired consistency.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Some of the items used in this post are available here at no additional cost to you.

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7 Comments

  1. I just know that I would love these! All the ingredients sound wonderful and that apricot chili sauce is the best! Simple, and no added chemicals or preservatives! My kind of cooking. Great idea for an appetizer or to serve at a cocktail party!

  2. Yum! I love Asian food but have only a few dishes that I prepare at home (mostly Thai ones). I have never made my own sweet and sour sauce at home but will try this. It’s one of my kids’ favorites.

  3. 5 stars
    These sound so delicious! I am addicted to chili garlic sauce; I’ll pretty much use it in anything I can. I don’t follow a Whole30 diet, so I’ll likely use the soy sauce. One thing I hate about wontons is actually making the wontons. They are such a hassle to wrap, I love the idea of juts making the meatballs.

5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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