Another winner from the The Meatball Cookbook Bible! My elder daughter, who has her own apartment, has stopped by twice, in two days, for a bowl of leftovers. I knew she liked lamb, but I think this is the first time she has taken a shine to curry. As with the other recipes from this book, the dish is not complex, but it’s fun, a bit different and still has all the elements of family friendly comfort food. Umm, well, that is if your family tastes lean to the slightly exotic, spicy side.
I used the full 3 tablespoons of curry powder when I made this, but next time I’ll probably reduce that a bit. The curry was just on the uncomfortable side of spicy for me, but I am a wimp, a real wimp, when it comes to hot and spicy food. I left out the dried apricots and the currants, too. It didn’t appeal to me in the curry, but for some reason I think adding them to the couscous would be OK. Does that make any sense at all? No, I didn’t think so.
Lamb Meatballs in a Coconut Curry Sauce
1 egg
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs (find them in the Asian section of the supermarket)
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons sesame oil
8 green onions, chopped (use all of white part and up to 2 inches of the dark green tops)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 1/4 lbs ground lamb
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons of curry powder
1 14-oz can coconut milk (find in the Asian section of your supermarket. Do not use low fat, and do not use Cream of Coconut)
1/2 cup chicken stock (or water)
1/2 cup chopped apricots
3 tablespoons dried currants (or chopped raisins)
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold chicken stock or water
vegetable oil spray (Pam)
4 servings plain cooked couscous, rice or rice pilaf
Combine egg and soy sauce in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in Panko and cilantro. Set aside to soak.
Heat sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add green onions, garlic and ginger. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Add half of green onion mixture to bread crumb mixture and stir to combine. Add in ground lamb. Blend meatball mixture together by tossing gently. Do not compress mixture, toss. Form meat mixture into approx. 2 inch meatballs. Roll balls lightly between palms. Place formed meatballs on a foil covered, rimmed baking sheet. (If desired, meat mixture or meatballs can be refrigerated for a few hours or overnight–be sure to remove remaining onion mixture from the pan and refrigerate that, too.)
Preheat broiler. Spray meatballs with vegetable oil (Pam, or something similar). Broil meatballs for approx 6 minutes. Shake pan, or turn meatballs half way through the cooking time. While meatballs are browning, finish the sauce.
Return frying pan with remaining green onions back to burner. Stir in curry powder and cook over low heat for one minute. Stir in coconut milk, chicken broth and dried fruit if you are using it. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Add hot meatballs to simmering sauce, cover, and let simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
Remove lid from pan. Add cornstarch and water mixture to bubbling sauce, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve sauce over hot cooked couscous, rice or rice pilaf (and maybe a simple steamed green vegetable on the side).
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today! Hope you liked the meatballs. See you again soon? I’ve got my fingers crossed!