Sweet and Sour Shrimp and Pork Balls with Napa cabbage sauté

I have made these shrimp and pork balls before, but I have struggled with what to serve with them.  I thought about how well pork and cabbage go together (think sausage and sauerkraut) and was inspired to make a sauté with caramelized Napa cabbage and onions.  I echoed the flavors in the meatballs in the sauté as well.  I also modified the sauce to not just coat the meatballs but to work as an overall sauce for the whole meal.  I bought the fern root noodles on a curious whim at my local Asian supermarket, Hana World.  I have been looking at them every time I open my pantry and wondering what they go with.  I finally decided to take the plunge and made them for this meal.  They were pretty good…although not much different in flavor than regular egg noodles.  Their texture though made them fun to slurp!
Recipe modified from The Just Bento Cookbook by Makiko Itoh

Sweet and Sour Shrimp and Pork Balls

3 ½ oz peeled shrimps, roughly chopped
7 oz ground pork
3 Tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp ginger (powdered or fresh)
1 Tbsp Sake
1 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp steamed carrot (chopped)
1 Tbsp cooked peas
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Mix all the ingredients with your hands (except the vegetables and oil) until the mixture gets slightly sticky.  Add the vegetables and hand roll into quarter sized meatballs.  Drizzle the meatballs and coat with the oil.  Steam the meatballs for 8-10 min in a steamer lined with parchment paper.

Sweet and sour sauce

2 Tbsp cornstarch
4 Tbsp water
1 cup chicken stock
4 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp 5 spice powder
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp Sake

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.  Take the sauce off the heat and add the shrimp and pork balls to the sauce and coat liberally.

Stir Fry

4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 white or yellow Onion (thin sliced)
2-4 Garlic bulbs (sliced)
1 lb Mushroom (sliced)
1 head Napa Cabbage (shredded)
Ginger powder and Salt to taste
¼ cup carrot (julienned)
¼ cup peas
3 ½ oz peeled Shrimp
Snap peas
8oz can sliced water chestnuts (drained and rinsed)

Place the shredded cabbage in a colander and work in 1 Tbsp salt using your fingers to coat as much cabbage as possible.  After about 15-20 minutes the cabbage will have let off some of its water and reduced in volume.  Squeeze out any excess water and pat the cabbage dry on a few paper towels.

Cook the onions on medium high heat until golden and caramelized.  Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown then add the cabbage.  Cook down.  When the cabbage starts to develop golden caramelized edges, add the rest of the ingredients and cook 9 more minutes stirring the shrimp to the bottom to allow it to cook thoroughly.

Serve with rice, udon noodles or Fern Root noodles