Indian Meatballs With Curry Coconut Sauce

This recipe is courtesy of Culinary Ginger!

My culinary adventures continue! This week, I tried my hand at an Indian dish - meatballs with curry coconut sauce. These are meant to be an appetizer, but I paired it with jasmine rice and naan bread, which made for a very satisfying dinner.

Ingredients: for curry sauce

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon mild curry powder (I used hot curry powder to make it spicier)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 15 ounce can coconut milk (coconut cream adds extra richness)
- pinch of salt

Instructions: for curry sauce

- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute.
- Mix in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- And the coconut milk (or cream) and stir well, cooking for 3 minutes until thickened.
- Throw in a pinch of salt to add a tad bit of flavor.
- Transfer to a bowl and put on a hot plate, or continue to cook over very low heat, to keep warm.

Ingredients: for the meatballs

- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into large pieces
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 onion, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon mint leaves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions: for the meatballs

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Put all of the meatball ingredients in a food processor.
- Pulse until the mixture is smooth. Don't over process or the meat will turn gummy
- Line baking sheets with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with nonstick spray.
- Scoop some of the meat mixture out and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. You can use a cookie scoop; I just used a regular spoon and shaped it with my hands. It's sticky, so this can be a messy process.
- Brush the tops with some olive oil.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Once they're done, insert a toothpick and dunk them in the curry sauce.