This is perhaps one of those "it has soy sauce, therefore it is Asian" recipes from the 1950s, but I don't care; it's the taste of childhood and I have been trying to replicate it with regular rice for years. Today: success!
Make meatballs: mix 1/4 to 1/3 pound ground beef; 1 egg; some garlic power; some ground ginger (this was today's innovation - inspired!) and salt/pepper. Add plain breadcrumbs until the consistency is dry enough to make meatballs. Roll into meatballs and brown in hot oil in a Dutch oven (another innovation today; better liquid-to-meatballs configuration).
Make a sauce of: 2 T cornstarch; 1/8 C sugar; 1 T soy sauce; 1/4 C vinegar (I used cider vinegar)l and 1 C water or broth. I think there could be less cornstarch and possibly less sugar. Stir sauce into meatballs; sauce will bubble up and thicken.
Push meatballs to edges; add 1 green pepper sliced, 1 C soaked basmati rice, and 1 1/2 C water. Simmer until cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Garnish with canned mandarin orange slices.
I think this would be nice with an Asian-inspired slaw of cabbage and carrots with a sesame oil/soy/rice vinegar/ginger dressing.
Posted by otto0114 at April 22, 2007 09:10 PM