While we’re settling into a new year with January almost done and dusted, there’s always room for extending your midweek recipe repertoire. Pork mince is such an economical and versatile option. I’ve taken some inspiration from my most recent book, Easy Al Fresco, with the sauce from the Sticky Chutney Chicken recipe on page 157. Adapting it slightly with the addition of grated ginger and chopped fresh coriander leaves, this sauce becomes a wonderful fusion of retro South African and classic Asian flavours. I’ve also added a teaspoon of sesame oil to the meatball mixture, which is otherwise a very traditional recipe – it brings a lot of extra flavour! However, if you don’t have sesame oil in your cupboard and you don’t love ginger, you can just omit these completely.
I’ve sourced all of the ingredients from Klein Joostenberg’s Deli & Butchery, as well as the wine – Myburgh Bros. Little J Dry Red 2022 – a versatile any-day red that can also be enjoyed slightly chilled.
The beautiful hand crafted steel roaster is made by Conrad Hicks of The Tool Room, also available from Klein Joostenberg Deli (this is the large size, also available in medium).
Serve these meatballs with rice, or alternatively on freshly cooked noodles with some extra broth of your choice or just good quality chicken stock.
Note: You’ll see that the sauce ingredients includes mayonnaise and tomato sauce (ketchup). It’s a retro combo, but I promise you it works!
Ingredients: (serves 6)
For the meatballs:
1 kg pork mince
2 cups brown bread crumbs (2-3 slices of bread, crumbed)
1 medium onion, coarsely grated
1 XL egg
15 ml rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
5 ml sesame oil (optional)
15-30 ml fresh ginger, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
a handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
For the sauce:
½ cup (125 ml) regular fruit chutney
⅓ cup (80 ml) mayonnaise
⅓ cup (80 ml) tomato sauce (I use All Gold)
3 Tbsp (45 ml) soy sauce (I use Kikkoman)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, finely grated
15 ml fresh ginger, finely grated
For serving:
a small bunch spring onions, finely chopped (optional)
a handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped (optional)
Method:
Prepare the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients (including salt & pepper, to taste). Using clean hands or a spatula, mix well. Lightly oil a large roasting tray. Roll the mixture into balls slightly bigger than a golf ball, and arrange in a large roasting tray.
Prepare the sauce: Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce together in a smaller mixing bowl or jug. Use a large spoon to spoon sauce over each meatball, covering the surface of the meatballs completely. Preheat the oven to 200 C, then bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and optionally scatter with spring onions and coriander.
Serve warm, with or without rice/noodles.
This post was created in proud collaboration with Joostenberg.
