#MeatballMonday: Cherballs

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Cher’s Hawaiian Meatballs American Style

Early in the project, I came across this provocative Pinterest graphic while looking for new meatballs. There is no source; the pin is to a defunct blog on a RuPaul site (of course I followed the link; I needed to know more).

I had to make these things, in all their problematic glory. I fully expected them to be terrible, even after I swapped out the inedible green pepper with red pepper and punched up the ginger.

They were delicious. They reminded Mr Radish of the sweet-and-sour dishes at Chinese restaurants that you ordered as as a kid in the 80s, but shy away from as an adult because you don’t want to look unsophisticated. I will make them again. Possibly often.

I tweeted the above photo, which led to some shocking yet unsurprising knowledge from long-term Tweep Tina: Cher stole her recipe from an old Betty Crocker cookbook. No wonder they tasted better than expected! Vintage Betty never lets you down!

[Embedded Tweet deleted because Tina’s account was deleted–March 10, 2023]

On my second try, I shredded fresh ginger into the balls because I am a fancy snob and added extra onion and mushroom to make it a Bowl because I am lazy efficient. I also cut the salt in half and threw in about a teaspoon of ground black pepper for the umami. Incredible. Chef’s kiss.

ProTip: They taste better bite-sized.

Regardless of the recipe’s original source, I am always going to call them Cherballs. I just like the sound of it.