Once I Started Making Meatballs Filipino-Style, My Family Won’t Let Me Make Them Any Other Way

Patty Catalano
·3-min read
overhead shot of meatballs piled on a plate with a small bowl of sweet chili sauce.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe ; Food Stylist: James Park Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe ; Food Stylist: James Park

Between my work as a recipe developer and as the primary cook for my family of four, I spend a lot of time thinking about and making dinner. Some recipes are instant classics that my family repeatedly requests, and others are made once and then never again. One dinner that I can always count on is meatballs. I make Italian meatballs so often that I have the recipe memorized. Those little rounds of ground meat are always a hit with my family, whether they’re served piled on pasta or stuffed inside sandwich bread.

Yet, there are only so many times I can make the same dinner again and again. So when I came across Kristina Razon’s recipe for bola-bola, or Filipino meatballs, I knew this might be my ticket out of my meatball malaise. Bola-bola are super-savory pork meatballs that are pan-fried until golden-brown and crispy. I’d barely taken my first bite before writing Kristina a note saying that although I’d never made bola-bola before, this would certainly not be the last time.

Get the recipe: Bola-Bola (Filipino Meatballs)

Why I Love Bola-Bola

  • They’re incredibly flavorful and always juicy. With ground pork as the base and umami-packed seasonings added for flavor, bola-bola are juicy, tender, and savory.

  • There’s no limit to serving options. Serve these meatballs as the main dish or as an appetizer with sweet chili sauce for dipping. You can also add them to rice bowls, serve them with a crunchy slaw or salad, drop them in a soup, or eat them on a sandwich.

overhead shot of meatballs on a cooling rack.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe ; Food Stylist: James Park Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe ; Food Stylist: James Park

How to Make Bola-Bola

  1. Make the meatball mixture. Combine grated onion, carrot, and garlic cloves with ground pork, panko breadcrumbs, an egg, soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce. Season with salt and pepper, then mix until combined.

  2. Form into meatballs. Divide the meatball mixture into 2-tablespoon portions.

  3. Fry the meatballs. Add the meatballs to hot oil and cook until golden-brown and crispy.

If You’re Making Bola-Bola, a Few Tips

  • Use a spring-loaded scoop to quickly scoop the meatball mixture into perfectly sized portions.

  • An instant-read thermometer is useful for taking the temperature of the oil and for testing the doneness of the meatballs. Just make sure not to let the tip of the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan for an accurate oil temperature reading.

  • They’re easy to make in advance. You can form the bola-bola and refrigerate them uncooked for a day (you may need to add extra frying time), or you can fry them up to 2 days in advance. Use the oven or air fryer to reheat them before serving.

Get the recipe: Bola-Bola (Filipino Meatballs)

This article originally published on The Kitchn. See it there: Once I Started Making Meatballs Filipino-Style, My Family Won’t Let Me Make Them Any Other Way

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