Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls

The story continues… So for the gathering which we had couple of weeks back, I decided to prepare sweet and sour chicken balls. The sweetness, sourness and the mild heat of this recipe will be make you try this recipe several times.. And trust me, this will be the most rated dish on your table. It is that yumm…

You need,

• Chicken mince – 1 pound 
• Ginger, grated – 1 tbsp
• Garlic, grated – 3 cloves
• Sesame oil – 1 teaspoon
• Pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt – 1/2 teaspoon 
• Oil – 1 teaspoon + extra for baking 
• Onion – 1 small, skinned and quartered 
• Dry roasted sesame seeds – for garnish (1/2 teaspoon should do)

For sweet and sour sauce

• Tomato ketchup – 3 tablespoons 
• Thai sweet chili sauce – 3 tablespoons 
• Fresh Red chili – 1 no, chopped
• Apple cider vinegar – 1.5 teaspoon 
• Dark soy sauce – 1.5 teaspoon 
• Water – 3 tablespoons 
• Cornstarch – 1/2 teaspoon 

Pre-requisites

• Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius for 10 minutes
• Whisk all the ingredients mentioned under the sauce in a bowl and keep aside

You need to

• Take a large deep bowl
• Add chicken mince, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, pepper and salt
• With a wooden spoon combine all well to blend .
• Wet your hands and take small portions of chicken mince and shape into tiny balls. (You could use a melon scoop or a measuring spoon to take equal amount)
• Set aside

Baking chicken

• Line a baking tray with parchment sheet or foil. Drizzle few drops of oil and spread well
• Place the chicken balls on the tray leaving some space so that it wont stick
• Drizzle oil over all the chicken balls
• Place the tray inside the oven and  bake for 15-20  minutes till the surface turn lightly brown
• Make sure to flip them when you are half way.
• Once done remove the tray and keep out.
• If you have more chicken to cook, repeat the same process with rest 

You could grill these in a pan as well.

Sauce preparation

• Heat reserved 1 teaspoon of oil in wok or a pan. 
• Add the onion and stir fry for couple of seconds.
• We don’t have to make them translucent 
• Add the sauce and boil till it is thickened
• Add chicken balls and stir to coat well with the sauce. 
• Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top. You could serve this as a starter or an accompaniment