Ingredients

Vegetable balls

• 1/2 cup carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup cabbage, grated
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper or green chili, finely diced
• 1/4 cup spring onion (or onion), finely diced
• 1/2 tsp freshly crushed black pepper
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp salt

Sauce

• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 4 tbsp onions or spring onions, finely diced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic, finely chopped (optional)
• 1/4 green bell pepper or green chili – finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp rice vinegar (alternatively white wine or cider vinegar)
• 1/4 tsp crushed chili (dried chili) (optional)
• 1/2 tsp freshly crushed black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp corn starch + 2 tbsp cold water
• Coriander or spring onion greens for garnish (optional)

Method

Make the balls

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (350°F) – convection oven.
2. Grate carrot & cabbage (in a food processor or on a box grater).
3. Finely dice bell pepper & onion.
4. Mix all ingredients for the vegetable balls in a bowl (carrot, cabbage, bell pepper, onion, black pepper, flour, corn starch, salt).
5. Knead: with your hands mix well, squeezing the vegetables to release their water. The water in the vegetable will mix with the flour and corn starch to make a paste that will bind the vegetables together.
6. Shape mixture into small balls (see picture 1) and place in an oven safe dish.
7. Brush balls with oil (olive or neutral).
8. Cook for 30min, turning halfway. Don’t worry if the the balls sink a bit during cooking you can press them back into shape after. The balls should be slightly crispy on the outside but still tender and moist on the inside.

Make the sauce, whilst the balls are cooking

1. Finely chop the onion, ginger, garlic, bell pepper.
2. Add oil to a pan on medium heat.
3. Add onion and fry a few minutes until translucent.
4. Add ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant (about 30sc). Be careful not to burn the garlic as it cooks quickly. If you see it start to golden remove from heat and move to step 5 (returning the mix to the heat).
5. Add soy sauce, ketchup vinegar, crushed chili, black pepper and sugar, and stir to combine.
6. Add 1 cup of water.
7. In a small bowl mix corn starch with cold water until there are no lumps.
8. Add the corn starch slurry to the pan and heat until thickened. Add more water to loosen if needed, or cook out to desired consistency to thicken.
9. Add bell pepper and adjust seasoning to taste.

Combine

1. Toss cooked balls in the sauce.
2. Plate and sprinkle with coriander or spring onions.
3. Enjoy!