Today’s Make Ahead Mondays recipe for Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir-Fry repurposes the ham ball recipe I shared years ago. Those ham balls remain a family favorite on their own, but transformed into a quick stir-fry they become something special. If you keep a few cooked ham balls in the freezer, this dish takes about fifteen minutes from start to finish. Delicious, fast, and comforting.

This is a great example of why having prepared components in the freezer pays off. I’m not a once-a-month cook — tastes change too quickly and I prefer flexible, fresh-feeling meals rather than big casserole batches. Still, freezing leftovers or extra portions like ham balls is a practical way to keep dinner easy and varied. Pack them in heavy-duty resealable bags with the air pressed out and they store neatly until you want them again.

The dish in the photo is Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir-Fry: salty-sweet ham balls paired with crisp-tender bell peppers and onions, bright pineapple pieces, and an Asian-inspired sauce made with chicken stock, soy sauce, Sriracha, and toasted sesame oil. Because the ham balls are already cooked, this meal comes together faster than the rice or noodles you’ll serve it over.

I usually serve this stir-fry over rice because it soaks up the sauce beautifully, but noodles work just as well. If you don’t have leftover ham balls in your freezer, consider making a batch — a full or double batch yields a hearty meal plus enough for one or two stir-fry dinners later. It’s an excellent return on the time spent cooking.

Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir Fry

The ham balls in this recipe are fully cooked, so the goal is to heat them through while keeping the vegetables crisp-tender and the sauce silky. To achieve that, cook the ham balls and vegetables separately, then combine at the end. If you prefer crushed pineapple you can use it, but pineapple pieces give more texture and are easy for picky eaters to pick out.

A note about pineapple: avoid pineapple chunks packed in heavy syrup when possible. If that’s all you have, drain and rinse them and discard the syrup, then use extra chicken stock in place of the pineapple juice called for in the recipe. The result will be less tart but still tasty.

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Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir-Fry | Make Ahead Mondays

Rebecca Lindamood

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

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This family-friendly stir-fry combines sweet and salty ham balls with crisp bell peppers and onions, tart pineapple pieces and a savory, slightly spicy sauce of chicken stock, soy sauce, Sriracha, and sesame oil. It’s fast, colorful, and perfect over rice or noodles because it uses pre-cooked ham balls.

Ingredients

• 3 medium bell peppers preferably red, orange, and green; stems and seeds removed and thinly sliced
• 1 large yellow onion peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons neutral oil canola, peanut, vegetable, or grapeseed, divided
• 24 frozen or refrigerated ham balls include any syrup they were stored in
• 1 can pineapple chunks packed in juice 20 ounces, drained with juice reserved
• 1 to 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1-3 tablespoons Sriracha adjust to heat preference
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• hot cooked rice or noodles for serving

Instructions

• Pour the reserved pineapple juice into a 4-cup measuring cup and add chicken stock to reach 2 cups total. Whisk in the sesame oil and Sriracha, then set aside. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce and cornstarch with a fork or whisk to form a smooth paste; set aside.
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a high-sided large skillet over high heat. Add the sliced onion and stir-fry until fragrant and just beginning to brown at the edges, about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper strips, garlic, and salt and continue stir-frying over high heat until the peppers are hot through but remain crisp-tender. Transfer the vegetables to a heatproof bowl and leave uncovered to prevent overcooking.
• Return the pan to the heat, add the remaining teaspoon of oil and heat until shimmering. Add the ham balls and any syrup they were stored with. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the syrup boils and reduces to a dark, very thick, sticky consistency. Add the pineapple chunks and stir-fry briefly so they become coated in the sticky glaze.
• Stir the soy-cornstarch paste into the reserved pineapple-chicken stock mixture, then pour the sauce into the pan with the ham balls and pineapple. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and leave a trail when you draw your finger through it.
• Return the cooked peppers, onions, and garlic to the pan, toss to combine, and heat just until everything is hot through. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice or your choice of noodles, with extra soy sauce and Sriracha at the table.

Nutritional information is an estimate. Calculate nutrition using the specific ingredients and quantities you use if needed.

Did you make this recipe?

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This post was originally published on April 29, 2013.