Photo by Julie O’Malley
Meatballs in Tomato and Yoghurt Sauce
Meatballs:
1 onion
500g lamb mince
2cm piece of ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
~ Grate the onion, put it in a sieve and use a spoon to press out as much of the liquid as possible. Put the onion in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly, then divide into approx 28 or 30 bite sized portions and shape each into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Tomato and Yoghurt Sauce:
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp oil
4 inch cinnamon stick
6 cloves
6 cardamom pods
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
350-400g ripe roma tomatoes chopped
170ml thick plain yoghurt
1-2 tsp sugar to taste
Coriander (or parsley) leaves to garnish
~ Place a small frypan over low heat and dry roast the coriander seeds until aromatic. Remove to a spice grinder. Dry roast the cumin seeds and tip into grinder. Grind both to a fine powder.
~ Heat the oil in a karahi or small wok over low heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods and onion and fry until the onion is golden.
~ Add all the ground spices and salt and fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato, then remove from the heat and slowly stir in the yoghurt.
~ Return the pan to the heat. Cook for about 1 min. Do a taste test. Add sugar if needed.
~ Slide in the meatballs and bring to the boil. Simmer over very low heat, uncovered for about 15-20 minutes. It may be necessary to shake the pan from time to time to prevent the balls from sticking.
~ If the sauce dries out during cooking, add 125ml water as required and continue to cook.
~ Remove any whole spices before serving and serve garnished with coriander (or parsley) leaves.