Sweet and Sour Meatballs, The Clark and Zoobic Adventure

Sweet and Sour Meatballs, The Clark and Zoobic Adventure. This is a late post, in fact I almost forgotten about it. Oh well its better late than the readers would never see. It is only a couple of months back, that was during my Manila vacation leave. Together with my family we headed up North to Clark to see the annual Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and on the itinerary visit the Zoobic Zoo in Subic. What is the connection now with my dish of Sweet and Sour Meatballs you may ask? The truth is I need to connect it to the dish so that I could share to you our Clark and Zoobic Adventure, make sense huh? Whenever we go on this kind of family bonding trips I always make it a point to bring our food, not only that it is cheaper, we have also something to eat inside the car while traveling. And mind you it’s not just pack in a bag. The food and drink are packed in thermo containers and Igloo. Plates, cutlery, picnic table and chairs all stashed at the back of the car. Now here is the connection of this Sweet and Sour Meatballs, it is one of the food that were prepared the night before, we started early so that we could be at Clark by 7AM, Manila to Clark is about 2&1/2 to 3 hours travel. For the trip we brought ham, hotdog to make sandwich, prepared sweet and sour meatballs, igado a family favorite, lechon manok and seafood pansit canton and some potato chips and drinks. We almost missed the Hot balloons take off this was due to the heavy traffic at Clark. Here are some of the photos.

Clark Hot Air Ballon Fiesta

First Stop Shell NLEX

Hot Air Ballon Ready to Take Off

Hot Air Ballon

Vintage Aircraft Show?

After we finished our lunch we headed to Subic for that Zoobic Adventure. By 2PM we are at Zoobic. The Zoo trip was not what I expected it was way out of the Zoo Parks that I have visited on other places. The Zoo does not have enough animals to offer. The only thing that pleased us was the tour guide which I though did pretty good and the close encounter with the tigers, Tiger Zafari. Here are the photos.

Zoobic sa Subic

Bird Trill

Bear Cat

Pigs Everywhere

Croco Loco

Tiger Safari

Long Road Home

I hope that get you entertained now here is the recipe of my Sweet and Sour Meatballs.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
1/2 kilo pork, coarsely chopped or coarsely ground
1 small singkamas, finely diced
1 small size carrot, finely diced
1 bundle kinchay, finely chopped
2 medium size onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup cornstarch
salt and pepper
cooking oil

For the sauce
6 slices canned pineapple, cut to pieces, reserve syrup
1 medium size red bell pepper, cut into squares
1 large size onion, cut into squares
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp. plum sauce
1 tbsp. Worchester sauce
2 tbsp. white vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
salt and pepper
cooking oil

Cooking procedure:

To make the meatballs, in big bowl mix first eight meatballs ingredients, mix and blend well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Scoop out the size of a golf ball and roll using the palm to form into balls, arrange in a platter and keep aside. In a wok heat oil and stir-fry in batches the meatballs for 2 to 3 minutes or until the outer skin turn to golden brown, keep aside.

Heat the wok until it start to smoke add in generous amount of cooking oil. Stir cook the onion for a minute, remove from wok and keep aside. Using the same wok stir fry garlic until fragrant add in the fried meatballs and stir cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add in Worchester sauce and tomato sauce stir cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add in the reserve pineapple syrup, 1 cup of water, plum sauce vinegar and sugar, let boil and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the pineapple and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the bell pepper, onion and season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for a minute. Thicken sauce with cornstarch diluted in 1/4 cup of water cook for another minute. Serve with rice.

See other Sweet and Sour and Escabeche recipes: 

Snapper Fillet Pinoy Escabeche Style 
Escabeche, Escabecheng Barramundi 
Escabecheng Talakitok 
Escabecheng Tangiugue 

Sweet and Sour Maya Maya 
Sweet and Sour Tasmanian Salmon 
Binukadkad na Maya Maya, Sweet and Sour Style 
Sweet and Sour Alumahan 
Sweet and Sour Swordfish Steak 
Sweet and Sour Shrimps 

Sweet and Sour Ham with Pineapple 
Sweet and Sour Pork and Chicken