This recipe is an extremely satisfying vegetarian alternative to meatballs. We’re forming small balls out of finely chopped veggies, frying them, and making the most epic teriyaki sauce to go with them. These cabbage balls are super quick and easy to make, as is the sauce, so this recipe is perfect for when you need something comforting and delicious, proving once and for all that you don’t need meat to make incredibly tasty food!
Fried Cabbage Balls with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce is a delicious and creative way to transform simple vegetables into a flavorful dish with a crispy bite. The cabbage balls are made by combining chopped pointed cabbage, carrots, red onion, parsley, and seasonings with corn starch and white corn flour for binding. The mixture is then shaped into balls, coated lightly in sesame seeds, and fried to golden perfection, resulting in a crunchy exterior and a tender, savory interior. These veggie-packed bites are elevated further when paired with a tangy and slightly sweet teriyaki sauce, making them a perfect appetizer or snack.
The homemade teriyaki sauce combines the richness of soy sauce, the sweetness of orange juice and ketchup, and a touch of spice from diced red chili pepper, garlic, and ginger. This flavor-packed sauce is cooked to perfection in olive oil until it thickens, creating a glossy and aromatic dipping sauce that perfectly complements the fried cabbage balls. Together, this dish is not just a treat for the taste buds but also a feast for the eyes, with its vibrant ingredients and bold flavors. Whether served as party food or enjoyed as a fun weeknight meal, this recipe is sure to impress!
This is such a simple, flavorful snack, and you won’t even notice that there’s no meat in these fried cabbage balls – we guarantee it!
Fried Cabbage Balls with Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 head pointed cabbage chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 red onion diced
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp white corn flour
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
- cooking oil for frying
- olive oil
- 3 scallions white part, diced
- 1 red chili pepper diced
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup ketchup
Instructions
- Throw the chopped vegetables into a food processor along with the parsley. Add the mixture to a clean dish towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the salt, corn starch, white corn flour, and black sesame seeds, and mix until combined. Form small balls from the mixture, fry them in hot oil, and let them drain on paper towels to get rid of any excess oil.
- TIP: Fry a sample ball before you form the other balls to see if it holds together or not. If it falls apart, add some more corn starch and white corn flour to your batter.
- For the teriyaki sauce, heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and briefly sauté the scallions, chili pepper, garlic, and ginger. Stir in the orange juice, soy sauce, and ketchup, and let the sauce cook down. Serve the fried cabbage balls with the teriyaki sauce and garnish with fresh scallions.