Oriental Meatballs & Brown Rice

My best friend Julie gave me this recipe today, and holy moly, it is gooood. It tastes a lot better than it looks, I promise. It really calls for a side of steamed veggies, but I was feeling lazy last night.

Here's the recipe:

Meatballs:
2 slices sour dough bread
1lb ground turkey (or beef if you're freaky like that)
1 egg
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp powdered mustard
1/2 tsp powdered ginger - or a heaping helping of fresh grated ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder - or a couple cloves of garlic-pressed

Optional:
1/8 cup finely diced water chestnuts
bunch chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 cup finely diced onions
1 finely diced portabello mushroom

You will also need:
3 Tbs cornstarch
vegetable or olive oil

Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup rice or white vinegar
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup dry sherry

How To:

1. First, get a pot of brown rice started, however much you want. Rice cookers rule.
2. Then, moisten bread and squeeze out excess water, rip into pieces and add to bowl with all meatball ingredients, and any optional ingredients.
3. Mix everything together and roll into small meatballs.
4. (Make the "Okay" sign with your thumb and pointy finger. Make them about as big as that hole.)
5. Roll meatballs in cornstarch  and add to oil/pan.
6. Brown on all sides.
7. While browning, mix together ingredients for sauce.
8. Remove browned meatballs from pan and drain fat & cornstarch debris. Wipe the pan out with a wad of papertowels and for gosh sakes don't burn yourself. That pan is hot.
9. Put the meatballs back in the pan and pour sauce over them. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes until meatballs are not pink inside.
10. While those badboys are simmering, why don't you steam some veggies.
11. Serve meatballs over brown rice and top with sauce. Veggies. Don't forget your veggies.
12. Enjoy the compliments you will no doubt receive for being such a fabulous chef.

P.S. You can take some cornstarch and mix it to a wet paste with a bit of water before adding it to your simmering sauce, to thicken it: because it is pretty watery if you don't.  Get crazy - make it as thick as you want. But if your spoon stands up in it, that's kinda nasty. The trick: add the cornstarch paste sloooowly and stir it up. The meatballs won't mind. They'll dodge that spoon.