Hapanese Cuisine

My mom is a slow cooker *Queen*. I always enjoyed guessing what we were going to eat based off of what scent was permeating the house. Sometimes it was tikka masala, sometimes it was lemon garlic chicken, sometimes it was Kalua pork, and sometimes it was these babies: Sweet And Sour Meatballs.

When I tried making these for the first time in Idaho, I had some… interesting obstacles. She can make this quickly and simply with canned pineapple and frozen meatballs. I didn’t actually have access to either one (though, strangely, I did have a whole fresh pineapple on hand. Go figure.).

Thanks to her help via text, my version still worked! You can’t beat that balance of the sweet pineapple, savory meatballs, and the little tart kick from the apple cider vinegar. This is one recipe you’ll go back to again and again.

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Mom’s Sweet And Sour Meatballs

20 oz canned pineapple (alternately, one fresh pineapple, cubed and separated, with ~1 cup getting juiced)

3 TBSP apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 lbs Not-So-Basic Meatballs

Combine the pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a slow cooker, and stir together until cornstarch is dissolved. Add in the pineapple cubes and meatballs, and cook on low for about 8 hours. Serves 4-5 people.