Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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Active time: 25 minutes

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Start to finish: 50 minutes

VARIATIONS

Make the meatballs from beef, chicken, or veal.

Instead of pineapple, try mango or papaya as the fruit.

Before traditional Chinese food became popular in this country, Chinese-American dishes often paired sweet and sour flavors. I remember making these meatballs for my sister and her college roommate in the 1960s. Guess what? It’s still good. The rice is in the meatballs so the meal is complete.

1¹/₄ pounds ground pork

1 cup cooked white rice

4 scallions, white parts and 3 inches of green tops, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced, divided

¹/₄ cup soy sauce, divided

2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

³/₄ cup pineapple juice

¹/₂ cup ketchup

¹/₃ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¹/₄ cup cider vinegar

¹/₄ cup water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

¹/₂ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

1 sweet onion, like Vidalia or Bermuda, sliced lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, and sliced

2 cups diced fresh pineapple

Vegetable oil spray

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, and spray the foil with vegetable oil spray.

2. Combine pork, rice, scallions, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper in a mixing bowl, and mix well. Make mixture into 1¹/₂-inch meatballs, and arrange meatballs on the prepared pan. Spray tops of meatballs with vegetable oil spray.

3. Bake meatballs for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven, and set aside. Combine pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, ¹/₄ cup water, and cornstarch in a bowl, and stir well to dissolve sugar. Set aside.

4. While meatballs bake, heat oil in a large skillet over high heat, swirling to coat. Add remaining garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, and stir-fry for 15 seconds, or until fragrant. Add onion and bell pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add sauce and pineapple, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

5. Remove meatballs from the baking pan with a slotted spoon, and add meatballs to the skillet. Cook 1 minute, and serve immediately.

Note: The pork mixture can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Also, the dish can be cooked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat it in a 350°F oven, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot.

The English word pineapple evolved because of the fruit’s resemblance to a pine cone rather than anything to do with its flavor or color. The Tupi, an indigenous tribe in Brazil, called the fruit was anana, which means “excellent fruit.” Hummingbirds, which are native to the tropics, are the natural pollinators for pineapple.