I love creating my own recipes at home, using ingredients that are easily found in regular supermarket stores. While there are many meatball recipes out there, from the iconic Swedish meatballs to Italian styles, I want to share something a bit unique: the South African meatball recipe! Let’s get started!
SA Meatball Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make a nice big batch of South African meatballs.
In case you didn’t know, tsp stands for teaspoon, and tbsp stands for tablespoon.
- Basil and fresh Parsley, chopped. (2 tbsp each or a bit more)
- 1.2kg mince (beef)
- 0.5kg mince (pork)
- Salt (to taste)
- Black Pepper (to taste)
- Crushed Garlic (powder)
- White Pepper (2 tsp)
- Worcestershire sauce (1 tbsp)
- 200g breadcrumbs
- x4 eggs
- Parmesan (2 tbsp)
- Sambal Olek chilli (1 tsp)
- Full Cream Milk (4 tbsp)
- 1 Chopped Onion
- Olive Oil (3 tbsp)
- Garlic (2 tsp)
If you don’t have access to all ingredients, the recipe can still work. Look for substitutes that make sense.
Please note: We used Jarlic (pre-prepared garlic in a jar), but we do suggest you prep your own garlic for a much better taste.
South African Meatballs Instructions
It’s very easy to actually make the South African meatballs once you have all the ingredients lined up.
Check out the full steps below to make your very own South African meatballs.
- Start by chopping your parsley and basil until you have about two tbsp of each.
- Prepare two tsp of fresh garlic.
- Add four eggs to a jar and mix them, then put aside.
- Take a large bowl and throw in all your mince.
- Add in the parsley, basil, some salt and black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce, then mix with your hands.
- Add the breadcrumbs and crushed garlic powder and mix again, then add the eggs.
- Now add the rest of the ingredients (Sambal Olek, Parmesan, Full Cream Milk)
- Mix thoroughly and then put in the fridge for the whole mixture to set a bit (about one (1) hour).
- Once an hour is up, heat up a pan (medium heat) and add olive oil.
- Straight to the pan, throw in the garlic and chopped onion.
- Add some salt and pepper to taste.
- Use your hands to form balls from the mixture (roughly 6cm or 2.3 inches).
- After five minutes of stirring, add your meatballs.
- Turn frequently for roughly 5 to 10 minutes. Use a silicone tong if you are using a non-stick pan.
- Check one to see if it is done.
- Remove from pan.
That’s it; you’ve done it! Congratulations on making South African meatballs with relative ease.
The whole process should take about one hour (not including the hour of wait time while the mixture cools). I suggest using the mixture cooling time to wash dishes, chop the onion, and prepare the fresh garlic.
Serving suggestion: Make a gravy with leftover pieces of mince and Bisto gravy powder. Serve on white rice (we like jasmine rice, but any will do just fine) and enjoy!
If you want a visual guide, then we’ve got you covered here at Eats & Sleeps. Check out our video embedded below, showcasing every single step to create the South African meatballs recipe.
In case you were wondering: Yes, I am “Salt Daddy.”
