Mei Lin's sweet and sour meatballs start with a classic meatball recipe, and it's the sauce where things get surprising! Mei Lin's use of molasses adds a ton of flavor, and gives the sauce its amazing consistency. Serve these with toothpicks and you've got a perfect game-day appetizer.
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Directions
Special equipment:
a 1/2-ounce ice cream scooper; a deep-fryer or deep-fry thermometer; an immersion blender
For the meatballs: In a bowl, add the Parmesan, milk, granulated garlic, granulated onion, brioche and egg together and mix until you have a homogeneous mixture. Add the beef, pork, chives, parsley, black pepper, white pepper and salt. Make sure it's thoroughly mixed, being careful not to overmix, which could make the meatballs tough.
Using a 1/2-ounce ice cream scooper, portion the meatballs onto a parchment paper-lined sheet tray.
Deep-fry the meatballs in 375 degree F oil to get an even deep crust, 10 to 15 minutes.
For the sweet and sour sauce: In a medium saucepan, add the oil and sweat out the onion and garlic until slightly softened, then add the brown sugar, black pepper, allspice and clove. Cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes, then deglaze with the rum. Cook the alcohol off.
Add the ketchup, pineapple juice, molasses, mustard, cider vinegar, white vinegar, Calabrian chile, hot sauce and 2 cups water and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool, then blend with an immersion blender. Season to taste. Combine the fried meatballs with the sauce and heat together until the meatballs are hot and cooked through.
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