Vegan Sweet and Sour Meatballs (Filipino Bola-Bola)

Ingredients

• 20 pieces bola-bola or meatballs
• 1/4 cup sugar (adjust according to desired sweetness)
• 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice from the chunks (see notes)
• 5 tbsp banana ketchup (or tomato ketchup, I used a mix)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• Dash of ground pepper
• 1-2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 medium onion (sliced)
• 1 small carrot (halved and thinly 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 ( or tidbits in extra light syrup/juice, around 120g)
• Steamed Rice

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Sweet and Sour Sauce ---

2. 2

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

3. 3

   --- Stir-Frying ---

4. 4

   Heat a pan or wok over medium high heat. Add 1-2 tbsp neutral oil.

5. 5

   Once hot, stir-fry the onion, carrot, and bell peppers for 2-3 minutes until the carrots are tender.

6. 6

   Add in the pineapple chunks and cook for 1 minutes

7. 7

   Lower the heat to medium. Give the sauce a good mix again since the starch tends to sit at the bottom.

8. 8

   Over medium heat, pour in the sauce to the pan.

9. 9

   Mix well and then leave the sauce to boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Continuously mix until the sauce thickens.

10. 10

    Once the sauce has thickened, add in the bola-bola or meat balls and immediately mix well in the sauce. Leave the meatballs to simmer in the sauce for 2-3 minutes.

11. 11

    Turn off the heat then serve the sweet and sour bola-bola or meatballs immediately. Enjoy this while hot with some steamed rice.