In India we have many types of mutton (goat) kofta curries from different regions of the country. This Meatball Coconut Curry hails from Kerala where it’s called ball curry (with a straight face). The food-loving Anglo Indian community also has a yummy ball curry in their repertoire. But this one from Kerala is very different in its use of spices and flavours. In my home, this Meatball Coconut Curry is comfort food cooked on a lazy Sunday, where lunch is followed by sweet slumber.
How to perfect make the best meatballs
- Soft, succulent meatballs are made from the best minced meat; one that has 20% fat to meat ratio. Very lean meats will harden during cooking and less fat also translates into less flavour.
- Minced meat (goat in this case) can sometimes be stringy, with uneven sized granules (especially if minced by hand). I always run the meat through my grinder to get a more homogenous, softer texture. Your meatballs will also look rounder when cooked since the fat gets evenly mixed into the meat. Otherwise your Meatball Coconut Curry will have meatballs that look like uneven nuggets.
- Many people add breadcrumbs or chickpea flour to meatballs but I don’t recommend it. While it does add body, I find it makes the insides pasty and dilutes the wonderful savouriness of the meat. These binders are not required, since a mutton meatball will not fall apart.
- Lastly, I like to add the aromatics such as garlic, ginger, chillies etc to the meat while I run it through the grinder. This helps the flavours meld in better. Also, once shaped, I like to chill the meatballs for at least 30 minutes before cooking. It gives all the ingredients time to bind, allowing the meatballs to hold their shape once dunked into the curry.
How to make coconut milk
The sauce or gravy in this Meatball Coconut Curry gets much of its depth of aromatic, meat-infused richness from coconut milk. Its gentle sweetness and creamy texture is a perfect complement to the spices and heat of the masala.
Thick coconut milk is the first extract liquid from fresh coconut flesh ground with hot water; it is richer and concentrated with more fat. This is added towards the end when the curry is fully cooked.
Thin coconut milk is the second extract from the same coconut flesh that is whizzed for a second time with a larger quantity of hot water. It is thinner with a lower fat percentage. This is added in the beginning and the meatballs are simmered in it.
To make thick coconut milk, whizz 450 g of fresh, grated coconut with 550 ml hot water. Drain thoroughly through a piece of muslin cloth, squeezing out every drop to get about 350 ml of thick coconut milk..Put the same ground coconut back into the blender with 550 ml hot water and grind on high speed. Strain to get 450 ml of thin coconut milk.
Masala for Meatball Coconut Curry
The spice paste or masala for this curry is straightforward. It’s basically chilli, coriander and turmeric powders, ground together with whole spices. Black peppercorn, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and fennel seeds are ground using a little water. This curry needs colour and heat to balance the sweetness of the coconut milk. So I like to use 2 kinds of chilli powder – Kashmiri chilli powder for colour and Guntur or any other hot chilli powder for that little kick. You can, of course, vary the quantity based on your tolerance and preference. Just remember that this curry has a lot of coconut milk. This mellows the heat by the time the curry is done. I also recommend using button onions if you can get your hands on them. They are smaller than sambar onions (so peeling them is a bit of a chore), but they make up with their sweet flavour.
We enjoyed our Meatball Coconut Curry with crisp, hot dosas but it can be enjoyed with rice, appam or even pav.
Meatball Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 500 mutton mince (goat)
- 25 button onion, sliced
- 2 1-inch pieces of ginger, minced
- 7 cloves of garlic, minced
- 25 curry leaves
- 3 green chillies, slit halfway
- 450 ml thin coconut milk
- 200 ml thick coconut milk
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- Salt
For the masala paste
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp Guntur or any other hot chilli powder
- 1½ tbsp coriander or dhania powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp button onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 inches cinnamon
- 4 pods of cardamom
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds or jeera
- ½ tsp aniseed or saunf
Instructions
- Using very little water, grind all the ingredients for the masala into a smooth , thick paste.
- Whizz the mutton mince in the blender or food processor along half the ginger and garlic, 1 green chilli, 6-7 curry leaves and a little salt till you have a soft, homogenous mixture.
- Put the mince into a bowl and mix in 1 tsp of the masala paste. Combine well and shape into 8-10 meatballs. Chill for 30 mins in the fridge.
- Heat coconut oil in a pan on low-medium heat. Tip in the sliced onions and half the curry leaves, Cook till the onions are translucent, then add the sliced ginger, green chillies and garlic and sauté for a min more.
- Then add the masala paste and cook the paste for a couple of min till the oil leaves the paste. Then add the thin coconut milk, vinegar and salt. Bring to a simmer and gently add the meatballs. Cover and cook for 30-40 mins till the meatballs are tender and cooked through. Gently turn the meatballs halfway through cooking, using a teaspoon.
- Now add the thick coconut milk, more salt if needed and the remaining curry leaves. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.