Indian Meatballs
When it’s my weekly turn to make dinner for the family, I try to avoid the ground meat, whether it be turkey, beef, or buffalo. I never know what to do with it. A round of meatloaf, Frikadeller, and meat sauce is soon tiring. Well, it was my turn to make dinner, and Papa had set out ground turkey the night before. What was I going to do with it?
I decided to plan the entrée first, and was glad to see that there were both green beans and carrots. That choice was easy; I love “Indian Style Green Beans” (see recipe below). I wondered whether there was an Indian-style recipe for ground meat, and a quick Google search turned up this tasty recipe for stuffed meatballs. The original recipe called, ironically, for beef; but the turkey served just as well. It is a keeper!
Indian Meatballs
There is a lot of measuring to do for this recipe, and I recommend you do it all before, so as to have the ingredients ready to hand when you need them. This looks like a lot of ingredients, but it’s mostly repeated spices.
(I tripled the recipe to serve my family of nine [24 big meatballs].)
Meatballs
(These are the amounts indicated in the original recipe; I doubled the spices for the meatballs.)
1 pound ground beef
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/2 teaspoon garam masala*
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Stuffing
1 hot green chili pepper, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 inch slice fresh ginger root, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 dash salt
1 dash black pepper, ground
Oil for Frying
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cardamom pods
3 whole black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
Sauce
vegetable oil (to make 3 tablespoons)
2 medium onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 medium canned tomato, drained and chopped [I omitted this.]
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon garam masala*
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs and keep covered in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing in another bowl. Divide the meat into four equal sections and make six balls from each section. [I misunderstood the instructions and made meatballs three times as large, but to good effect.] Pick up enough meat for one kofta [meatball] and form into a rough ball. Depress the ball with your finger and place a generous pinch of stuffing in the center. Cover the stuffing by bringing around the meat from the outer edges and making it into a ball again.
Heat the oil in a 10-12 inch skillet over medium heat and put in the cinnamon, red pepper, cardamom, and cloves. Stir once. In 10 seconds or so, when the coves begin to expands and the red pepper swells and turns dark. [I removed the spices at this point as they threatened to burn.] Add the meatballs, just enough so that they don’t overcrowd the skillet. Brown them on all sides (do not cook through!), remove with a slotted spoon and return to platter. When all are browned, cover the platter and set it aside.
Pour the remained oil into a very large and wide heavy-bottom pan. Add more oil, if needed, to make 3 tablespoons.
Place the chopped onions, garlic, and ginger in a blender with 4 tablespoons of water and blend at high speed until it becomes a smooth paste.
Heat the oil, then pour in the paste from the blender. Fry over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently. Add the coriander, cumin, and turmeric and fry for another 5 minutes. If the spices stick to the bottom of the pan, add a bit of warm water and keep stirring. Add the chopped tomato and fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon water, cover the pan, and let tomato simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, checking to see that it doesn’t burn. Add 1 1/2 cups water, the koftas, the spices used in frying the meatballs, the paprika, the garam masala, and the salt. Mix gently and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer slowly for half an hour.
Optional Garnishes: 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander, 1 small onion peeled and fried in rings, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom seeds.
*For those of you who don’t keep garam masala on hand, of which I am one, here is a simple spice blend you can create.
Quick and Easy Garam Masala
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
This is my favorite way to have green beans.
Indian Style Green Beans
adapted from Whole Foods for the Whole Family, La Leche League
2 to 4 tablespoons of oil (I prefer coconut oil)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 lb. green beans, cut in 1-inch diagonal slices
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 pound green beans
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger root
1/2 teaspoon (or less) unrefined sea salt
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Heat oil in large skillet or wok. Sauté mustard seeds until they begin to pop (and be careful, because they will pop!). Add the beans, onion, and carrots. Cook for five minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in seasonings; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for eight to ten minutes. Stir in lemon juice and serve. Yields five servings.
“You can always tell when I’ve been cooking with turmeric,” I told Papa, nodding towards the refrigerator. “I expect to see this on your blog,” he responded. “Be sure to bleach it after you take your pictures.”
Friday, May 13, 2011