Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs are used in a variety of cuisines although their recipes vary from place to place. Typically, a meatball consists of ground meat but there are many cuisines, which do not use meat to satiate the taste buds of vegetarians! Meatballs are great as appetizers and are also used with soups or sometimes atop a pizza. Whatever the reason, meatballs sure are an easy and delicious way to begin any meal! Here are some easy ways to prepare sweet and sour meatballs at home. So, put on your chef’s hat and use these recipes to create some amazing dishes.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe #1
Ingredients
Ground beef (1 pound)
Egg (1)
Water (1) Onion - chopped (1)
Dry breadcrumbs (1 cup)
Cider vinegar (1/2 cup)
Ketchup (1/2 cup)
Salt and pepper
Cornstarch (2 tablespoons)
Brown sugar (1 cup)
Soy sauce (2 tablespoons)

Preparation
Take a large bowl and combine the following ingredients in it - breadcrumbs, egg, onion and beef. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Roll this into 1 inch sized meatballs. Meanwhile, take a large iron skillet and place it over medium heat. Cook the meatballs in this till they turn a shade of brown.

Then, take a separate bowl and combine the following ingredients in it – ketchup, cornstarch, water, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce. Once you blend it well, pour it over the meatballs and let it thicken. Keep it over the medium flame for sometime and take it off the heat. Serve hot!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe #2
Ingredients
Ground beef (1 lb.)
Coriander (1/4 teaspoon)
Cornstarch
Soft bread crumbs (1 cup)
Egg – beaten (1)
Salt (1/4 teaspoon)
Oil (1/2 cup)
Clove garlic (1)
Chopped onion (1/4 cup)
Water chestnuts (1 can)
Prepared horseradish (2 tablespoons)
Frozen Brussels sprouts – (One - 10 oz.)
Unsweetened pineapple chunks – drained; save around 1/2 cup juice (One 15 oz. can)

Preparation
Take a large bowl and combine the crumbs, beef, egg and the seasonings. Sprinkle some amount of salt over this. Then blend the ingredients into a ball and roll each meatball into cornstarch. Meanwhile, heat some oil in a wok and fry these meatballs in it till they turn brown. Once done, remove from wok and drain the oil.

Then, place the frozen Brussels sprouts in a baking dish on a rack in the wok. This should in turn be placed in bubbling water. Cook and steam the same for at least 5 minutes and place it aside. Once done, drain the wok and dry the same. Meanwhile, fry some garlic and then add some onions as well. Stir-fry it for a few seconds.

Once done, reduce the heat and add the meatballs, sprouts, water chestnuts and chunks of pineapple. Now you would need to prepare the sauce for this meatball recipe.

Ingredients for Sauce
Sherry (2 tablespoons)
Sugar (1/3 cup)
Cider vinegar (1/3 cup)
Soy sauce (2 tablespoons)
Catsup (1/4 cup)
Cornstarch (2 tablespoons) dissolved in pineapple juice (1/2 cup)

Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook the same over medium heat. Keep stirring till it thickens to the desired intensity.

Pour this preparation over the meatballs and serve it with some hot cooked rice!

(Vegetarian) Sweet and Sour ‘Meatballs’ Recipe #3
Ingredients for the meatballs (Minus the meat!)
4 eggs
Finely chopped onion (1/2 cup)
Finely chopped pecans (1 cup)
Shredded Cheddar cheese (1 cup)
Cottage cheese (1/2 cup)
Dried basil (1 teaspoon)
Dried sage (1/4 teaspoon)
Salt (1 1/2 teaspoons)
Italian seasoned bread crumbs (2 cups)

Ingredients for the sauce
Vegetable oil (1/4 cup)
Ketchup (1 cup)
Minced onion (1/4 cup)
White vinegar (1/4 cup)
Apricot jam (3/4 cup)
Dried oregano (1 teaspoon)
Hot pepper sauce

Preparation
Take a large bowl and mix the Cheddar cheese with the cottage cheese and eggs. Blend well. At the same time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take a separate cup and mix the following ingredients in this – pecans, ½ cup onion, basil, sage and some amount of salt. Add the breadcrumbs as well. Make around 2 inch sized balls out of this mixture and place them in a baking dish.

Take another bowl and add the apricot jam, ketchup, vegetable oil, vinegar, onion, hot pepper sauce and oregano. Then, pour this preparation over the vegetarian ‘meatballs’. Bake the same uncovered for at least 40 minutes in the preheated oven.