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Mushroom Quinoa Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Mushroom Meatballs with Sweet & Sour Sauce

5 from 1 vote
The meatballs as-is are already great with gravy or a dipping sauce of your choice but I opted to create an irresistible sweet and sour sauce with pineapples, bell peppers, and onion to coat the meatballs in. Whenever we make meatballs and have leftovers at home, they’re usually turned into a sweet and sour meatball dish the day after.
These mushroom meatballs can also be cooked in an air-fryer or shallow fried in oil until golden brown and crisp.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese, East Asian, Filipino, Fusion, Southeast Asian
Servings 16 large meatballs
Calories 99 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Mushroom Meatballs

  • 12.5 oz fresh mushrooms of choice , I used fresh shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 green onion sliced
  • 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 cup whole rolled oats processed
  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • Fresh ground pepper

Sweet and Sour Sauce

For Stir-Fry

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 1 small red bell pepper seeded and sliced into small squares
  • 1 small green bell pepper seeded and sliced into small squares
  • 1 cup pineapple chunks in extra light syrup around 120g (see notes)

To Serve

  • Steamed rice

Instructions
 

Meatballs

  • Process or chop the mushrooms until minced. You can leave some larger chunks for extra texture.
  • Mix the mushrooms, quinoa, green onion, garlic, oats, corn starch, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix everything well until the mushroom-quinoa mixture comes together.
  • Test out the mixture and then shape into small balls to see if it holds up well. If the mixture is a little wet and sticky, you can add 1-2 tbsp more of processed oat or regular flour. The oats/flour will help absorb some of the moisture.
  • Afterwards, roll the mixture into balls.
  • To pan-fry: Heat a medium or large non-stick pan over medium. Once hot, add some neutral oil to submerge at least half of the mushroom balls. Add the balls and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
  • To air-fry/bake: If air-frying or baking, heat your air-fryer or oven to 350F/180C. On a lined air-fryer basket or baking tray, place the balls. Spray or brush a generous amount of oil on both sides. Leave to air-fry for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until golden brown on both sides. For baking, this will take longer, around 35-40 minutes.
  • The main difference I noticed between the pan-fried and air-fried meatballs is that pan-fried meatballs are juicer and less dry than the air-fried ones. They also turned a more even golden brown. The air-fried ones are a bit dry so they're better enjoyed with a sauce or glaze compared to being enjoyed as-is with a dipping sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

  • Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a large bowl or measuring cup. Mix until the cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside.

Stir-Fry

  • You can use the same pan for frying (if you pan-fried your meatballs). If doing so, heat the pan over medium and add the oil. Once hot, sauté the onion and bell peppers. Once tender, add in the pineapple chunks.
  • Lower the heat to medium. Give the sauce a good mix again since the starch tends to sit at the bottom.
  • Over medium heat, pour in the sauce to the pan.
  • Mix well and then leave the sauce to boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Continuously mix until the sauce thickens.
  • Once the sauce has thickened, add in the meatballs pieces and immediately mix well in the sauce.
  • Turn off the heat then serve the sweet and sour meatballs immediately. Enjoy this while hot with some steamed rice.

Notes

AIR-FRYING VS. BAKING RESULTS

  • The main difference I noticed between the pan-fried and air-fried meatballs is that pan-fried meatballs are juicer and less dry than the air-fried ones. They also turned a more even golden brown. The air-fried ones are a bit dry so they're better enjoyed with a sauce or glaze compared to being enjoyed as-is with a dipping sauce.

 

Pineapple Chunks in Juice or Light Syrup and Adjusting the Sugar

  • Since I used pineapple chunks in juice, the pineapple juice from the pack is already slightly sweetened. If using chunks from syrup, it can be even sweeter so you can adjust the sugar accordingly and start with 3 tbsp. If you’d like it sweeter, you can always add more.
  • If you’re using fresh pineapple, slice them into small 1″ (2.5 cm) cubes then use pineapple juice of your choice.
 

Tomato Ketchup

  • Some ketchup brands have more or less sugar and also vary in acidity so you  can also adjust the sugar to suit to your preferred sweetness and acidity for the sauce.
 
 

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Serving: 1meatball with sauce | Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 195mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 520IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
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