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Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry

Posted by in Step-by-Step Recipes

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

 
Lamb lovers, you will love me for this one. Ok, actually, you will love Tasty Kitchen members (and sisters!) Vanessa and Ingrid for this one. Their recipe for Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry might seem like an ordinary meatball recipe, but the secret is in the sauce. Truthfully, these are no ordinary meatballs. Drown meatballs in a curry that’s spiced just right, and they become a fun and exotic meal. And as far as curries go, this one comes together pretty quickly!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

To get started, get out the ingredients you’ll need: lamb, Madras curry paste (I used homemade curry paste but store-bought is fine), water, salt, onion (I used 2 medium onions instead of 1 large onion), garlic, fresh ginger, ghee (or you can use butter), tomato paste, and parsley (instead of cilantro). You can use cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), but I am one of the unfortunate cilantro-averse people who taste soap instead of the loveliness that everyone else tastes when they eat cilantro. It’s genetic, what can I say? Such a shame though.

Alright, I’m over it.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Crush the garlic.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Dice the onion.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Chop the parsley (or cilantro). I sort-of went chop-crazy and minced it without realizing that the recipe just called for a rough chop. Oops!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Add the lamb, cumin, ginger, and salt to a large bowl and give it a good mix with your hands.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Then shape the meat mixture into meatballs about 1 tablespoon big. Please excuse the meat all over my hands. It’s the price you pay when rolling meatballs, but it’s oh-so-worth-it, especially for a dish this good.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

All lined up and ready to go!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Melt the ghee (or butter) in a large skillet over medium heat and add the meatballs.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Brown them on both sides. I cooked the meatballs a little longer than the recipe says to let them get nice and brown on each side, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. I like them to develop a nice deep color. Oh, and I had to cook the meatballs in 2 batches so the skillet wasn’t overcrowded.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Don’t forget to let the excess oil drain off the meatballs by putting them onto a paper towel-lined plate. Notice that even though the meatballs are nicely browned, they aren’t cooked all the way through, so don’t taste one yet (you’ll finish cooking them in the curry sauce).

And now get back to that same skillet! It’s like gold at this point, with all the nice brown bits in the bottom. You might need to add more oil to the skillet if your lamb was really lean; otherwise, if your lamb wasn’t so lean, drain off all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Still over medium heat, add the onion and scrape up those gorgeous brown bits from the bottom.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

You can add the garlic at the same time like the recipe says, but I like to give the onion a little head start. I cook the onion until it starts to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Don’t forget to stir!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Then I add the garlic, stir it around, and cook it until it’s fragrant, about 1 minute.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Now add the curry paste. It should be starting to smell insanely delicious!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Stir it in and cook for another minute.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Stir (or whisk) in the water.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Add the tomato paste …

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

And give it a stir.

Bring the sauce up to a boil, then cover and simmer it until thickened. This took about 5 minutes for me.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and let them finish cooking (covered), about 5 minutes.

And it’s ready! Don’t forget to sprinkle the cilantro (or parsley) on top.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

You can serve this beautiful dish “rustic-style” right out of the pan it was cooked in. Love when that happens.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry. Guest post by Faith Gorsky of An Edible Mosaic, recipe submitted by TK members Vanessa and Ingrid of Food Opera.

Vanessa and Ingrid suggest serving this curry with rice and/or roti and adding a dollop of yogurt or raita on top; both suggestions sound fabulous to me. I eat curries the way normal people eat soup or stew, so I ate this as-is, but for my hubby I made a quick basmati rice pilaf to serve alongside. It got a thumbs-up from both of us.

Thanks to sisters Vanessa and Ingrid for their delicious recipe! Be sure to check out their beautiful blog Food Opera for more of their tasty dishes!

 
 

Printable Recipe

Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry

See post on Vanessa and Ingrid’s site!
5.00 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5

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Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

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Description

I used to be a bit overwhelmed by the amount of spices needed to cook a curry, and with a 3 1/2-year-old and a 1-year-old, I’m really time poor. I want easy, everyday dishes, but I certainly don’t want to compromise on taste. This is a great weekday family curry recipe for those with busy lives.

Ingredients

  • 1-⅔ pound Lamb Mince
  • 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon Grated Fresh Ginger
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter Or Ghee
  • 1  Large Onion, Peeled And Finely Diced
  • 4 cloves Garlic, Peeled And Crushed
  • 4 Tablespoons Madras Paste
  • 1 cup, 4 tablespoons, ¾ teaspoons, 1-⅞ pinches Boiling Water
  • 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
  • ½ cups Coriander Leaves, Roughly Chopped

Preparation Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add the mince, cumin, ginger and salt, and using clean hands, mix until combined. With wet hands to prevent sticking, roll into tablespoon-sized balls.

2. In a large frying pan, on a medium heat, melt the butter and brown the meatballs, turning for 2-3 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Set aside.

3. Using the same pan (add more butter if needed), fry the onion and the garlic until soft.

4. Add the Madras paste, mix through and fry for a further minute. Add the water and stir through.

5. Add the tomato paste, stir, bring sauce back to the boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes until thickened.

6. Drop the meatballs into the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Serve on rice and/or with roti, scatter coriander and add a dollop of natural yoghurt or store-bought raita.

Notes:
1. You can make most of this curry ahead of time, just hold back dropping the browned meatballs into the sauce until five minutes before serving.
2. You could add some greens to the dish, Add frozen peas or spinach into the sauce 5 minutes before serving.
3. Chicken mince will also work well with the flavours of this dish.
4. This curry sauce freezes well.

 
 
_______________________________________

Faith Gorsky is the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind the blog An Edible Mosaic. She lives in Upstate New York and loves to travel, especially to places steeped in rich culture and history. She also enjoys reading, vintage shopping, watching movies, and is enamored with ancient cultures. She just released her first cookbook, “An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair” (Tuttle Publishing), a collection of authentic Middle Eastern recipes handed down to her from her husband’s family.

 

7 Comments

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CodieD on 5.29.2013

I made this recipe and it was awesome!!! Hubby gave it 2 thumbs up and said I should make it again. I used the Homemade Madras Paste recipe found here on Tasty Kitchen.

t.a. helton on 5.25.2013

I have a question about the recipe. My husband loves curry (almost as much as I do) but he detests onions!! What would you suggest as a substitute for the onions? I would love to make this recipe.

Faith on 5.24.2013

Margie and Katie (and anyone else interested), Here is the link to my Homemade Madras Curry Paste: http://www.anediblemosaic.com/?p=13329. Hope you enjoy it!

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Jayne | Tenacious Tinkering on 5.22.2013

This is beautiful! I really love how homey and simple this is. No need to braise lamb pieces forever in the sauce. Just make meatballs! Clever.

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CodieD on 5.22.2013

This looks so yummy! I would like to know how you made the madras paste as well. I’ve only seen one brand of curry paste in our stores, and I know they might not be the best flavor wise.

Katie on 5.22.2013

These look incredible! I’m seconding Margie’s sentiment about wanting the curry paste recipe. I recently found another online and I’m curious about how they compare – I’m tired of buying those tiny jars of curry paste!

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Margie on 5.22.2013

This looks delicious. I’ll have to search for your madras paste recipe since I don’t see a link provided. I can’t wait to try this.