Meatball Coconut Curry
A creamy, sweet, spiced-infused meatball curry from Kerala
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.