Nikudango Amazuan (Sweet and Sour Meatball) Recipe

Nikudango Amazuan (肉団子甘酢餡) are deep-fried meatballs in a glossy sweet-and-sour sauce. Nikudango literally means “meatball,” and Amazuan refers to the sweet-and-sour glaze in Japanese. This dish is another example of Chinese cuisine that has been adapted to suit Japanese tastes, becoming a beloved staple of Japanese-style Chinese food. You’ll find it on the menu at many Chinese restaurants in Japan, but it’s also a popular home-cooked dish—easy enough for a weeknight dinner and always satisfying.

What’s Nikudango Amazuan?

Meatball dishes exist all around the world, each with its own unique seasonings and sauces. In the U.S., there’s spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce. Sweden has its iconic Swedish meatballs served with creamy gravy and lingonberry jam—made even more famous worldwide thanks to big furniture chain stores. In Japan, we have Tsukune, tender chicken meatballs glazed with a sweet and savory Teriyaki-style sauce, often served at Yakitori restaurants specializing in skewered grilled chicken.

The Amazuan sauce is made with sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce, sometimes with a touch of ketchup depending on the recipe. It’s thickened generously with potato or cornstarch, giving it a substantial, glossy texture that clings beautifully to the meatballs. The flavor is quite similar to Subuta (Japanese-style sweet-and-sour pork), another hugely popular dish in Japanese Chinese cuisine. So if you enjoy sweet-and-sour pork, you’re almost guaranteed to love this one too.

The meatballs themselves are generously sized and fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You can pan-fry them, but deep-frying is faster and helps them keep their round shape. It may take a little extra prep work, but the results are absolutely worth it. Once coated in the shiny sweet-and-sour glaze, the meatballs look incredibly appetizing—tangy, sweet (but not overly so), and irresistibly flavorful. This is a dish loved by people of all ages, perfect not only for everyday dinners but also as a tasty appetizer or a satisfying addition to any lunchbox.

Tips and substitutions for Nikudango Amazuan

• Cooking options – If you want a slightly lighter version, you can pan-fry the meatballs until they’re nicely browned. Just make sure to use enough oil so they crisp up on the outside—this helps achieve the right texture even without deep-frying.
• Protein options – Ground pork is our top choice for its rich flavor and juiciness, but other ground meats work well too. Ground chicken tends to be a bit softer, so mixing it with pork or beef can help the meatballs hold their shape while also boosting flavor.
• Vegetable options – If you’d like to add extra flavor and texture, you can mix finely minced vegetables into the meat mixture. Green onions or brown onions add a nice savory aroma, and water chestnuts give a great crunchy texture. If you want to add vegetables to the dish itself, try stir-frying onions, bell peppers, carrots, or even pineapple together with the meatballs and sauce—just like in Subuta (sweet-and-sour pork).
• Seasoning options – As mentioned above, you can add a small amount of ketchup to the sauce for natural sweetness and mild acidity. Treat it as a subtle secret flavor, and don’t add too much—you want the sauce to be balanced, not taste like ketchup.

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This article is newly updated from December 2021.

More recipes like Nikudango Amazuan

• Teriyaki Turkey Meatball
• Subuta (sweet and sour pork)
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