Sesame sweet and sour meatballs is a one pan dish that takes about forty minutes to prepare. This is a mild sweet and sour not swimming in sauce but it can amped up by adding more vinegar and brown sugar and extending the sauce with water and arrowroot powder. It is best eaten fresh off the stove rather than as leftovers. It is great as-is or can be served over rice.
Start with 1/3 cup white or yellow onion and 2 tablespoons of peeled fresh ginger root.
Put the onion, ginger and 1/4 cup sesame seeds in a food processor and pulse in short burst until the seeds are well broken up.
Put all of the ingredients for the meatballs in a large mixing bowl: 1 pound of grass fed ground beef, one large pastured egg, the contents of the food processor, 2/3 cup of oatmeal or whole grain hot cereal, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper. Mix together well by hand.
Form approximately 24 meatballs. This will vary depending on the size of meatballs you like. I usually make mine about 1 1/2 inches for two bites.
Roll the meatballs in whole sesame seeds. Press the seeds in a little so they are well stuck on to the meatballs.
Fry the meatballs lightly in coconut oil. Do this in batches to give them room in the pan. Turn them often to get the sesame seeds just browned a little. Remove the meatballs to a plate for later. Do not worry about getting them cooked through at this stage.
Cut the “hard” vegetables: bok choy, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, baby portabella mushrooms, broccoli florets and thinly sliced carrot.
Remove and save the sesame seeds that came off the meatballs while they were cooking. Add a little more oil if needed. Add the “hard” vegetables and several thin slices of fresh ginger root to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until they are just starting to soften.
In between stirring the hard vegetables, drain a small can of bamboo shoots, cut 1 cup of grape tomatoes in half and clean 1 cup of mung bean sprouts.
When the hard vegetables are just starting to soften a little, add the meatballs, bamboo shoots and tomatoes to the pan. Add 2 tablespoons of organic brown sugar and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Continue cooking and stirring for 2-3 minutes.
Add the mung bean sprouts. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder and stir. Add 1 1/4 cup water and stir well. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook 2-3 minutes more to thicken the sauce. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, brown sugar and vinegar if needed.
Serve and enjoy!