25 Jun Whole 30 Sticky Asian Meatballs
Juicy and flavorful meatballs topped with homemade sticky Asian sauce. These delicious Whole30 Sticky Asian Meatballs are not your average Chinese takeout food. It is not only so easy to make, but also paleo, gluten free, dairy free and keto friendly.
Growing up in China, my dad always made a “sticky” sauce with most dishes.
Sticky tofu, sticky short ribs, sticky eggplants. You name it.
It is always his magic sauce in the kitchen.
So I have made his magic happen in my kitchen, with this super flavorful Asian meatballs with sticky sauce.
You won’t believe these are Whole30 and Paleo compliant.
Why do I love Sticky Asian Meatballs
1. Packed with flavors
To begin with, this meatball recipe itself is packed with all the aromatics – ginger, garlic, green onion. Additionally, we are going to top off these Asian Meatballs with a flavorful sticky sauce simmered to perfection.
2. Easy to Make Whole30 Meatballs
This oven baked Asian Meatball recipe is so easy to make. Only a few accessible ingredients, you have the best Whole 30 Meatball recipe.
3. So “Fancy” to bring on the dinner table or party
Not your average Chinese Takeout Food. It is healthy, fancy and so creative. These Sticky Meatballs will definitely please a crowd.
4. Reminds me of Home
I don’t make Chinese food often because I never think I get even close to my dad’s cooking level. But these meatballs though, my dad would be proud!
A few Asian Meatball Recipe Staples
If I learned a thing or two from watching my parents cooking Asian cuisine growing up, to begin with:
- Green Onion 葱
- Ginger 姜
- Garlic 蒜
are the three ingredients you will find in most of Chinese food.
Additionally, Asian cuisine also uses a lot of sesame seed oil, soy sauce and white sugar.
An Asian Inspired Whole 30 Meatballs
To make this meatball recipe whole30 and paleo compliant. I have made a few substitutions
Coconut Aminos:
Instead of soy sauce, I used coconut amino, which is gluten free, paleo and Whole 30 compliant. Additionally, it is packed with 17 amino acids.
Arrowroot Flour:
Similar to corn starch that acts as a thickener, arrowroot flour is great gluten free, paleo, andWhole30 alternative to use in this sticky Asian sauce recipe.
Coconut Sugar:
Unlike white sugar, coconut sugar is paleo friendly. Although it is not Whole30 compliant. However, you can omit coconut sugar to make this meatball recipe Whole30.
What Makes the “Sticky” Asian meatball Sauce Sticky?
So my dad uses this flour called Sheng Fen 生粉, which is a kind of starch.
Besides the fact that I cannot find Sheng Fen in normal grocery stores, it is also not gluten free or whole30 friendly.
Therefore, I have tried a whole 30 approved paleo starch – arrowroot flour.
What is Arrowroot Flour
Arrowroot flour is a starchy substance extracted from the root of Maranta arundinacea (read more here).
You may be familiar with corn starch, a traditional thickener in many recipes. Similarly, arrowroot flour also thickens food, but has no taste, leaves food glossy and clear.
Even better? It is a healthy starch. It is gluten free, paleo and Whole 30 friendly.
How to Serve Whole30 Asian Meatballs
Perfect Party Appetizers
These Whole 30 Asian Meatballs are the perfect bite size. Put some toothpicks on them. Then you have a fancy and healthy Chinese food “takeout” appetizer.
Healthy Dinner for the Whole family
Chinese food isn’t complete without rice. Serve these Sticky Asian Meatballs with some Jasmine rice and some stir fried vegetables on the size.
Or top them off with noodles.
Again, NOT your average Chinese Food takeout.
These Whole 30 Sticky Asian Meatball are great to serve as a healthy dinner, appetizers for parties and social gatherings. They look so fancy, but no one needs to know that you are that easy to make.
(Last Updated July 11th, 2019 – tweaked the recipe a bit to make it extra moist and soft)
OOO ALSO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR CREATIONS! YOU CAN USE “TRIED IT” ON PINTEREST OR SHARE ON INSTAGRAM BY TAGGING #SHUANGYSEATS
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Whole30 Sticky Aisan Meatballs
These delicious Whole30 Sticky Asian Meatballs are not your
average Chinese takeout food. It is paleo, gluten free, dairy free and easy to
make.
Ingredients
Asian Meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp arrowroot flour (make it extra moist)
- 1/4 cup green Onion (chopped)
- 2-3 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 inch Fresh Ginger (minced)
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp salt
Asian Sticky Sauce
- 2/3 cup coconut amino
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp arrowroot flour
- 1/2 tsp fresh or ground ginger
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar (optional)
Instructions
Asian Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a baking sheet with avocado oil.
- Finely chop green onion, garlic, poblano pepper, set aside
- Combine all meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until combined well, using your hands. Roll into balls (approx. 24 - 26 meatballs for 2 lb of meat). Place the formed meatballs on the greased baking pan.
- Bake for 15 - 18 minutes. Broil for 2 minutes at the end.
Sticky Asian Sauce
- Add all the sauce ingredients except for arrowroot flour to a skillet. Bring to boil then urn the heat to medium to low.
- Stir in arrowroot flour slowly. Stir frequently until the sauce thickens. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Once the meatballs are done, combine them to the pan and cover with sticky sauce. Sprinkle some extra green onion and sesame seeds for garnishing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of pork and chicken, you can use turkey or beef . I prefer having ground pork in the mix because the fattier meat brings out the flavor.
- If the sauce doesn't thicken, keep stirring and turn the heat up by just a notch.
Recommended Products
Disclosure: some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This does not result in any extra cost for you, but it does mean that I make a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 321 Total Fat: 19g Saturated Fat: 6g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 11g Cholesterol: 137mg Sodium: 811mg Carbohydrates: 9g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 6g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 29g
You May Also Like these Meatball Recipes:
1. Paleo Italian Meatballs (Whole 30)
2. Slow Cooker Paleo Italian Meatball
3. Whole 30 Turkey Burger Recipe
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