Beef Meatball Curry

I used to associate meatballs with Italian food or IKEA 😉, but they are a lot more versatile than I initially thought. They work really well in this Indian inspired curry. The meatballs themselves are seasoned with onion and chilli, and the tomato-based sauce contains an aromatic blend of spices and creamy coconut milk which ensures full-on flavours with every bite.

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Beef Meatball Curry Recipe

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the meatballs:

• 1 tbsp light olive oil
• 700 g lean beef mince
• 0.5 large onion finely diced
• 1 green chilli finely diced
• 3 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tbsp dried coriander leaf
• 1 tsp salt

For the curry sauce:

• 1 tbsp light olive oil
• 1.5 large onions finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 thumb sized piece ginger finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 0.5 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 0.5 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 400 g tin chopped tomato
• 400 ml tin coconut milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 180 g spinach

METHOD

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan (or 200°C conventional oven), line a baking tray with grease proof paper and brush with the oil. In a large bowl combine the mince, onion, chilli, garam masala, garlic powder and coriander leaf.
2. Shape into 24 meatballs and spread them out on the prepared baking tray. Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes until the balls have browned turning halfway.
3. In the meantime make the curry sauce. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan on a medium heat and fry the onion, garlic and ginger until softened for around 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Pour in the spices (coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli powder, mustard powder and cinnamon) and cook for a further 3 minutes.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir in the coconut milk.
6. Add the cooked meatballs to the pan.
7. Cook on a low heat with the lid on for 40 minutes. Be sure to stir the curry every 20 minutes.
8. Add the spinach to the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes with the lid on until wilted.
9. Season with salt and pepper.

NOTES

• For an even more flavoursome meatball, prepare the meatballs the day before and leave overnight in the fridge to marinade.
• This also works well with lamb mince.
• I use mild chilli powder in this dish to make it toddler friendly, but if you like spice then you may want to use the hot (or extra hot) version.
• Serve with steamed basmati rice and a side salad.