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madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Ball Curry... FOR SCIENCE!
"This traditional recipe for making tender, juicy meatballs cooked in a spicy curry comes from Chennai, in the southern part of India."
Meatballs:
1.5 lb ground chicken thigh meat
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt as needed
red pepper flakes, as needed
4-5 sprigs fresh cilantro, tender parts of stems and leaves minced
1 medium green onion, minced
Paste:
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1/3 c grated coconut
2-3 green bird's eye chilies, halved
4 cloves garlic (Ha! I used... more.)
1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
Curry:
2 1/2 Tbsp veg oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
salt as needed
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala
2 medium tomatoes, puréed
2 c chicken stock or water (I used water, because I didn't want to bother with thawing house-made)
4-5 sprigs cilantro, for garnish
In a medium bowl, make the meatball mixture: combine the chicken, spices, cilantro, and green onion. Mix until just combined. Do not mash the meat or overwork the mixture. Set aside.
Prepare the paste: in a blender or fud processor, combine the onion, coconut, chilies, garlic, and ginger. Blend until they form a smooth paste. Set aside.
Make the curry: hit the sauté button on the CultPot. When hot, add the oil. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they sizzle, add the paste mixture. Season with salt and sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently to cook evenly, until the paste loses most of its moisture and leaves the sides of the pot, coming together in a cohesive mass, in a run-on sentence. It should not have a raw smell.
Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garam masala. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring vigorously, then mix in the tomatoes. Deglaze the bottom of the pot by scraping with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes lose most of their moisture and the whole mixture turns into a thick paste. Cancel the sauté function and pour in the chicken stock, stirring to combine.
Shape the meatball mixture into approximately 1" meatballs using a mini ice cream scoop (I used a melon baller) and gently drop them into the pot with the curry, making sure not to stack the meatballs on top of one another. Close the CultPot lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow to release normally. Garnish with cilantro and serve over a bed of rice with a dollop of yogurt.
What worked: I quite liked the curry flavor. The meatballs cooked well without falling apart or drying out, and the melon baller was an easy way to make them (which is why I have it).
What didn't: This was a fair amount of work and dishes. The CultPot is poor at sautéing; usually I do that on the stove instead. I should have done that here.
I made a 1/3 batch because I misread the amount of chicken (we only got 1/2 lb). It was heavy on the sauce (even at the reduced ratio) and I should have served it in bowls over rice rather than on plates.
Will I make it again? I don't plan to, although it's possible. If I did, I'd make a full batch and freeze 2/3 of the sauce in bags for later use.
This is the third recipe from this book I've tried, and arguably the best-realized. But... this isn't in our usual repertoire, so the CultPot isn't saving any time or effort. I may need to decide if I really want to make any others from this work.
"This traditional recipe for making tender, juicy meatballs cooked in a spicy curry comes from Chennai, in the southern part of India."
Meatballs:
1.5 lb ground chicken thigh meat
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt as needed
red pepper flakes, as needed
4-5 sprigs fresh cilantro, tender parts of stems and leaves minced
1 medium green onion, minced
Paste:
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1/3 c grated coconut
2-3 green bird's eye chilies, halved
4 cloves garlic (Ha! I used... more.)
1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
Curry:
2 1/2 Tbsp veg oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
salt as needed
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala
2 medium tomatoes, puréed
2 c chicken stock or water (I used water, because I didn't want to bother with thawing house-made)
4-5 sprigs cilantro, for garnish
In a medium bowl, make the meatball mixture: combine the chicken, spices, cilantro, and green onion. Mix until just combined. Do not mash the meat or overwork the mixture. Set aside.
Prepare the paste: in a blender or fud processor, combine the onion, coconut, chilies, garlic, and ginger. Blend until they form a smooth paste. Set aside.
Make the curry: hit the sauté button on the CultPot. When hot, add the oil. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they sizzle, add the paste mixture. Season with salt and sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently to cook evenly, until the paste loses most of its moisture and leaves the sides of the pot, coming together in a cohesive mass, in a run-on sentence. It should not have a raw smell.
Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garam masala. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring vigorously, then mix in the tomatoes. Deglaze the bottom of the pot by scraping with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes lose most of their moisture and the whole mixture turns into a thick paste. Cancel the sauté function and pour in the chicken stock, stirring to combine.
Shape the meatball mixture into approximately 1" meatballs using a mini ice cream scoop (I used a melon baller) and gently drop them into the pot with the curry, making sure not to stack the meatballs on top of one another. Close the CultPot lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow to release normally. Garnish with cilantro and serve over a bed of rice with a dollop of yogurt.
What worked: I quite liked the curry flavor. The meatballs cooked well without falling apart or drying out, and the melon baller was an easy way to make them (which is why I have it).
What didn't: This was a fair amount of work and dishes. The CultPot is poor at sautéing; usually I do that on the stove instead. I should have done that here.
I made a 1/3 batch because I misread the amount of chicken (we only got 1/2 lb). It was heavy on the sauce (even at the reduced ratio) and I should have served it in bowls over rice rather than on plates.
Will I make it again? I don't plan to, although it's possible. If I did, I'd make a full batch and freeze 2/3 of the sauce in bags for later use.
This is the third recipe from this book I've tried, and arguably the best-realized. But... this isn't in our usual repertoire, so the CultPot isn't saving any time or effort. I may need to decide if I really want to make any others from this work.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-12 01:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-07-12 02:08 pm (UTC)