Ginger Cabbage Meatballs

¼ cup White Rice
1¼ cup Water

By boiling and such, I cooked a wet and mushy pot of rice, which I set aside for later... or actually, I did this in-between the following:

⅓ head Red Cabbage (grated)
¾ White Onion (chopped fine)

In case one is wondering, the odd measurements (in this series) often come from leftovers. Another (sweet one that she is) might use a quarter of an Onion, which means I am using the remainder. Likewise for the cabbage, half a head was available, but I did not need that much (only ⅔ of the ½ available, which is ⅓).

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Fish Sauce

3 teaspoons Ginger
2 teaspoons Fenugreek

I have no idea what Fenugreek tastes like. But judging by its packaging, it should work with ginger. Besides, I could barely (as in, not at all) taste a dab on my finger. So, it can't possibly hurt that much.

Up to this point in the write-up, I have been preparing some the raw ingredients. So now, I'll throw the lot (the cabbage mixture is in one bowl, while the rice is in another) into the refrigerator for later.

Um, so having said that, I probably should mention that every ingredient other than the rice has been mixed together in one bowl. Thus, it will marinate for the next half-dozen hours.


1lb Ground Beef

Having let the lot marinate, I took everything out of the refrigerator, let it warm up for a bit, and mixed everything together, including the raw hamburger.

1 cup Water

Then, I dolloped the mixture into a baking dish, using a ½ measuring cup to keep the balls kind of even, added a cup of water so I could set the oven temperature on high, and sprinkled a bit of this and that over the top for a bit of added flavouring.

1 part Ground Pepper
1 part Salt
2 parts Sugar

I decided to omit the Ground Ginger, which I had been considering. And obviously, rather than making a sauce, I opted for a spicy crust, trusting that plenty of flavour will seep out of and into the water, turning it into a gravy. {Note: it did not.}

I'll check after 30 minutes at 425°, not bothering to wait for the oven to warm up. So, it will, probably, have to stay in the oven a bit longer... which it did, 15 minutes longer.

Upon tasting (with sour cream), it was too oniony for me, so I put it back in the oven, intending to cook an additional 30 minutes at 350°, hoping to cook the onion flavour out.

I wound-up only leaving the heat on for 20 minutes, but left the balls in the oven to cool for a half an hour more.

Meanwhile, I ate another meatball with mustard, to see how that was.


Um, it turns out mustard is not the flavouring to use on something that is over-oniony in the first place.


So, let's try this again and make these meatballs taste a bit better, keeping in mind that all the excess water cooked off last night, when I put them back in the oven that second time.

2 cups Water
1 lb bag Mixed Vegetables (broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower)
1 inch Soy Sauce (so, like a quarter cup)
20 shakes Fish Sauce
¼ cup Brown Sugar (large crystal)

Pouring the vegetables down the center (after pushing the remaining meatballs to the side), I poured, shook, or distributed the remaining ingredients over the top of the meatballs, as that is where the flavour was needed.

It looks pretty good. And between last night and the extra cooking time tonight, I believe the onion will cook out.

1 hour at 350°


The sugar did not melt as I expected. I should, really, learn how to make teriyaki sauce.

All the same, the dish was easy enough to eat. But I doubt I will ever be referencing this particular recipe ever again.


Others were more pleased with the dish than I (or that the above indicates). The meatballs were OK. Maybe solid. But I would be disappointed to be served such a dish in a restaurant. So, it really wasn't good enough, as that is the level of deliciousness I am striving for. Still, it was anything but bad. I just didn't hit it out of the park... or even hit a home run. But a base hit? Sure, enough. Batter on.


April, 2019