Lifestyle
Warmly spiced pork meatballs with crispy pap balls
The pork mince is mixed with softened bread, onion, garlic, eggs and a gentle blend of coriander, cloves and nutmeg.
Pork mince is affordable, quick to cook, and easy to turn into all sorts of meals, from burgers and stir-fries to dumplings, pasta sauces, and sausage rolls. Because it has a mild flavour, it also takes on spices and seasonings beautifully, making it a brilliant base for recipes like these spicy pork meatballs, compliments of SA Pork.
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 45 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 kg ground pork mince
- 2 slices white bread
- 1 cup milk
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Oil for frying
For the crispy pap balls:
- 3 cups white maize meal, plus extra for coating
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 stock cube
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 egg
- Oil for deep frying
For the onion gravy:
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Soak the bread in milk until soft, then squeeze out excess liquid. Fry the onions and garlic until soft and allow to cool.
- Combine the pork mince, soaked bread, onion mixture, eggs, spices, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix until just combined. Shape into balls and chill for 30 minutes.
- Fry the meatballs in batches until browned and cooked through. Keep warm.
- Bring water, salt and stock cube to the boil. Stir in maize meal gradually. Cook, stirring, until thick and smooth. Stir in butter, cool slightly, then mix in the egg.
- Shape into balls, coat in dry maize meal and chill briefly. Fry until golden and crisp.
- For the gravy, sauté onions in butter until golden. Stir in flour, cook briefly, then gradually add stock. Simmer until thickened and season.
- Serve meatballs with gravy and crispy pap balls on the side.
Tip: Chilling the meatballs before cooking helps them hold their shape, and frying in batches keeps them nicely browned instead of steamed.
