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5.0 from 12 votes

Whole30 Sweet And Sour Asian Pork Balls

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. 

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4 people
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian

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

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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. 
  3. 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.
  4. 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.