Sweet and Spicy Vegetarian Meatballs

Before we dive deep into these sweet and spicy vegetarian meatballs, I have some great news to share. I have opened up a photography print shop on Society6! I have always wanted to make my photographs available to you and now I am excited that you can purchase prints of some of my iconic work. Here is the link to the shop. If you decide to purchase a print from the shop, the sales from it will go towards helping this blog stay up and running so that I can keep bringing you great food stories, recipes and photography.  Tag #AkitchenInUg to share your prints.

As someone who eats beans regularly, eating them the same way can sometimes get boring. Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats a great bean soup/stew. But because I am restless, I sometimes wonder what else I can make into beans. In Asia, beans are sweetened and added to desserts (hello moon cakes!) which I think is so awesome. But I don’t think my family is ready to take that sweet leap yet. I have made several variations of bean stews like this Githeri, palm oil beans,  fresh bean pasta, katogo and these bean burger patties. These meatballs are inspired by the bean burger patties though with a sweet and spicy twist.

The best thing about these meatballs is that you can flavor and spice them as you desire. I had a fresh bottle of sweet and spicy sauce so I made mine sweet and spicy. You can try flavors like Adobo, BBQ or eat them as they are. Also I made a short video to accompany this recipe. Go and have a quick look and then come back and make them.

What you will need:

2 C. Beans. Boiled and drained

1/3 C. Flour

1/3 C. Bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. Green onions, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. Tomato paste

1 Small onion, finely chopped

1 Tsp. Ginger, minced

1 Tsp. Garlic, minced

1 Tsp. Soy sauce

1 Egg

1 Tsp. Sugar

Salt

Black pepper

Sweet and spicy sauce

1/ 4 C. Sweet and spicy sauce

1 Tsp. Soy sauce

 

Method

1. Mash the beans.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the sweet and spicy sauce and soy sauce. Mix all ingredients well.
3. Let the mixture sit for a while so that the breadcrumbs can absorb any excess liquid.
4. Mold the mixture into balls using a spoon and fork.
5. Fry the meatballs till golden brown. Remove from fire and drain of excess oil.
6. In a separate pan, pour the sweet and spicy sauce. Add the soy sauce and bring to a slow simmer on medium heat. Add the meatballs and toss them till they are all fully coated with the sauce.
7. Serve warm.

Tag #AkitchenInUg to share your creations with me.