Curried Meatballs

 

This is an amazing twist on classic Italian meatballs and works so well with the spices.

 Serves 4

Ingredients:

for the meat mix

• 300g beef mince

• 300g pork mince

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 1 spring onion, finely sliced

• a small piece of ginger, grated (about a teaspoon worth)

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• a pinch of sea salt

• camelina oil

 

for the sauce

• olive oil for frying

• ½ onion, sliced

• 1 tablespoon mild curry powder

• 2 tablespoons tomato purée

• 1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk

• a small piece of ginger, grated (about a teaspoon worth)

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• a pinch of sea salt

 

for the rice

• 300g basmati rice (rinse off the starch under cold water)

• 3 cardamom pods, pierced to release the flavor

• 600ml water

• 2 big pinches of sea salt

 

to garnish (optional)

• olive oil

• 1 maris piper, peeled, grated and any water squeezed out

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas mark 7.

2. Place all the ingredients for the meat mix excluding the oil into a bowl and mix really well with a wooden spoon.

3. Shape into twelve small balls approximately 2.5cms (1 inch) in diameter.

4. Put the meatballs in a large roasting tin, drizzle with camelina oil and bake in the oven for 7 minutes.

5. Meanwhile make the sauce. Place a saucepan or frying pan with some olive oil over a medium heat and sweat the onions for 30 seconds. Add the curry powder and tomato purée and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk, ginger, soy sauce and salt and bring to the boil.

6. Take the meatballs out of the oven, pour the sauce over them and place back into the oven for another 7 minutes.

7. Place the rice, cardamon, water and salt into a pot with a lid and bring to the boil rapidly. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 8–10 minutes until light and fluffy. Remember to remove the cardamom pods once cooked – they should be sitting at the top of the rice when it is ready.

8. For the garnish, in a hot frying pan coated with some olive oil, flatten little pancakes of grated potato and fry on a medium heat until golden and crispy on each side.

9. When everything is ready, serve on a decorative platter by spooning on the rice, then the meatballs, sauce and garnish, and tuck in.