Half the amount of onion, garlic and spices goes into the meatballs, the other half into the sauce; this recipe is as simple and straightforward as it gets. (And I don’t see why it couldn’t work equally well with pork or beef mince.) You can fry the meatballs if you prefer, but it’s much easier and less messy to put them on a lightly greased baking tray and cook them in the oven.
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1lb (450–500 g) lamb mince
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2 onions
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2 cloves of garlic
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1 egg
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1 tin of coconut milk
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Oil
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Butter
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2 tsp chilli powder
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2 tsp curry powder or fenugreek
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2 tsp allspice
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2 tsp cumin
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2 tsp turmeric
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2 tsp ginger
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½ cup couscous
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Step 1:
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 (200°C) and grease a baking tray or Pyrex dish.
Step 2:
Put the lamb mince in a large bowl with 1 finely chopped onion, 1 clove of crushed garlic and 1 teaspoon each of chilli powder, curry powder (or fenugreek), allspice, cumin, turmeric and ginger, plus the egg, and squish it all together with your hands.
Step 3:
Roll the meat mixture into balls (don’t use flour, it works better without), putting them straight onto the greased tray. Bake the meatballs in the oven for 20–25 minutes and shake them up on the tray at least once during cooking time.
Step 4:
Meanwhile, warm some butter and oil in a large saucepan and fry the second finely chopped onion and clove of garlic until soft, then add another teaspoon each of chilli powder, curry powder (or fenugreek), allspice, cumin, turmeric and ginger and cook for a few more minutes.
Step 5:
Empty the tin of coconut milk into a large measuring jug, make up to 1 pint (500 ml) with cold water and add to the onion and spices in the pan. (If you haven’t got a measuring jug add the coconut milk then half fill the empty tin with cold water and add that to the pan.)
Step 6:
Bring the sauce to the boil, stirring frequently, and allow to simmer for a good 10 minutes to reduce the amount of liquid by about a third.
Step 7:
Turn the heat right down, add the cooked meatballs and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. If the sauce is still thinner than you’d like it to be, stir a small cup of couscous into the curry, allowing another 5–10 minutes for the couscous to swell and soften, before serving.
Step 8:
Serve with plain boiled rice.
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