Serves: 3-4
This is another recipe inspired by a browse through my late aunt’s cookery notes. White crab meat is expensive but the pork mince makes this a more budget friendly main course. It may seem like an odd partnership -pork and seafood -but this combination is seen quite frequently in Far Eastern cooking. I have updated the sweet and sour sauce, leaving out pineapple (I just can’t go there) and adding gochujang for a little kick. However, it is still pleasingly retro and reminds me of the Chinese takeaways of my childhood.
Ingredients
- For the balls
- 200g white crabmeat
- 225g pork mince
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- For the sweet and sour sauce
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 red pepper, halved, deseeded and diced
- 1 green pepper, halved, deseeded and diced
- 5 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 3 tablespoons caster sugar
- ½ tablespoon gochujang paste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil for frying
Method
- For the balls, put the first seven ingredients along with a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined. If you are unsure about the seasoning take a little morsel of the mix and fry in a small pan for 3-4 minutes. Taste and season again if necessary. Shape into 12 even-sized balls and chill for 2-3 hours.
- To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the peppers over a low to moderate heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly so they don’t burn. Add the tomato ketchup, caster sugar, gochujang paste, sesame oil and red wine vinegar with ½ teaspoon fine salt. Pour in 150ml water and bring to the boil, stirring. Mix the cornflour with a tablespoon cold water and stir into the sauce. Cook for a minute or two until thick. Take off the heat while you fry the balls.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the balls over a moderate heat for 10-15 minutes, turning them to ensure they cook evenly. Warm the sweet and sour sauce and serve with the pork and crab balls and some rice and steamed vegetables.
