Whole30 Sweet And Sour Asian Pork Balls

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

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.

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.

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)

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 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

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 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.

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