Nikudango Amazuan (肉団子甘酢餡) are meatballs coated with sweet and sour sauce. Nikudango literally means meatball and Amazuan means sweet and sour sauce in Japanese. This is another Chinese dish that has been adapted into Japanese cuisine. It can of course be found at Chinese restaurants in Japan, but a lot of people make the dish at home as a dinner entree.
There are meatball dishes all over the world with various seasonings and sauces. The US has spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce, and Sweden has Swedish meatballs with creamy gravy sauce and lingonberry jam which became famous from IKEA furniture stores. We have Tsukune meatballs in Japan, that are made of ground chicken with Teriyaki sauce. Nikudango Amazuan tastes very similar to Subuta sweet and sour pork, so you would like this one if you like sweet and sour pork.
It is very simple to make meatballs if you don’t mind deep-frying. It could be pan-fried, but it is quicker and also easier to keep the ball shape when deep-frying. If you want to add some vegetables to the dish, you can stir-fry onion, pepper, carrot, and even pineapple pieces together with meatballs and the sauce. Nikudango Amazuan is also a great party appetizer. You can put individual meatballs in little paper cups like we did in the video, or stick a cute pick in each meatball for simple serving.
Whether eating Nikudango Amazuan as part of a meal or as an appetizer, this is a tasty dish for everyone. It goes well with Steamed Rice and any drinks, so try this one very soon!
Nikudango Amazuan (Sweet and Sour Meatball) Recipe
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Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb 450g ground pork
- 1 medium onion minced
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup Panko bread crumb
- 2 Tbsp potato or cornstarch
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 tsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- oil for frying
Sauce
- 1/2 cup 120 ml water
- 1/4 cup 60 ml Soy Sauce
- 6 Tbsp 90 ml Rice Vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup 60 ml Sake
- 4 tsp potato or cornstarch
Instructions
- Make the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients except the frying oil. Shape the meat mixture into bite-size (1″ or 2.5 cm) balls.
- Heat the oil in a medium pot, over medium high heat (350F or 180C). Fry the meatballs for 5 minutes, or until browned.
- Make the sauce. In a medium skillet, add all the sauce ingredients. Heat until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and coat with the sauce.
Video
