Coconut Curry Meatballs
Coconut Curry Meatballs made with ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, yogurt, coconut milk, tomatoes, yellow pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, chilies, curry powder, and cilantro.
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Servings: 6
Ingredients
Coconut Curry Sauce
- 300 ml coconut milk
- 300 ml water
- 1 yellow pepper chopped
- 2 medium fresh tomatoes chopped
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ tbsp fresh ginger minced or grated
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 red chilies or ½ fresh jalapeño, seeds removed and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp curry powder or to taste
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
Meatballs
- 900 g ground beef or another ground meat of choice
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves mashed
- 1 tsp fresh ginger minced or grated
- 1 to 2 hot red chilies finely sliced, seeds removed
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 ½ tsp salt
Optional Garnish
- 3 tbsp cooking sauce
- 3 tbsp mascarpone or cream cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
Prepare the coconut curry sauce.
- Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onion, garlic, fresh ginger, and chilies. Sauté until fragrant, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning.
Add the vegetables and seasonings.
- Add the yellow pepper, fresh tomatoes, coconut milk, water, salt, and curry powder. Stir until fully combined.
Simmer the sauce.
- Increase the heat until the sauce just begins to bubble. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for approximately 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
Prepare the meatball mixture.
- While the sauce is simmering, place the ground beef, red onion, breadcrumbs, egg, plain yogurt, cilantro, garlic, ginger, chilies, curry powder, garam masala, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Combine the meatball ingredients.
- Mix the ingredients until evenly incorporated. Do not overmix, as this may result in dense meatballs.
Shape the meatballs.
- Form the mixture into golf-ball-sized meatballs and place them on a plate or tray.
Blend the sauce.
- Once the vegetables in the sauce are softened, remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool for approximately 5 minutes. Blend the sauce until smooth using an immersion blender or a standard blender. If using a standard blender, work in batches and do not overfill.
Adjust the sauce.
- Taste the blended sauce and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, curry powder, or chilies, if desired.
Return the sauce to the skillet.
- Pour the blended sauce back into the skillet. If the sauce is too thick, add up to ½ cup water, keeping in mind that the sauce will continue to reduce as the meatballs cook.
Add the meatballs.
- Heat the sauce over medium heat until lightly bubbling. Carefully add the meatballs to the sauce in a single layer.
Cook the first side.
- Cook the meatballs for approximately 5 minutes on one side to allow them to set.
Flip and simmer.
- Gently flip each meatball. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked and tender.
Add cilantro.
- Stir in the fresh cilantro gently, taking care not to break the meatballs.
Prepare the creamy garnish.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 to 3 tbsp of the cooking sauce with 2 to 3 tbsp mascarpone or cream cheese. Stir until smooth. If needed, add a few teaspoons of water to thin the mixture to a drizzleable consistency.
Garnish and serve.
- Drizzle the creamy mixture over the meatballs. Sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro and serve warm.
Notes
To make this recipe gluten-free, replace the regular breadcrumbs with certified gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Confirm that the curry powder and garam masala are gluten-free, as some spice blends may contain additives or be processed in facilities with gluten.
Use certified gluten-free yogurt, coconut milk, mascarpone, or cream cheese, depending on the products used.
Check all packaged ingredients, including coconut milk, breadcrumbs, spice blends, and dairy products, for gluten-containing additives or cross-contamination warnings.
If using a ground meat substitute or plant-based alternative, make sure it is certified gluten-free.
Use clean mixing bowls, utensils, cutting boards, measuring spoons, blender parts, and cookware to prevent cross-contamination.
Serve with gluten-free rice, cauliflower rice, gluten-free naan, or gluten-free flatbread.