This had to be one of my favorite recipes growing up. Which kid doesn't like meatballs?!!
This recipe is a quick and easy version, that is made in the pressure cooker and doesn't require you to fry the meatballs before. My mom tried several techniques when it came to the meatballs. She used to squeeze out all the water from the mince, before adding any spices to it. Another friend of hers suggested she use only fresh mince, to help keep the shape of the meatballs. The latter made no difference at all to the shape, and squeezing out all the juice from the meatballs just made them dry.
I haven't used any egg to help bind the meatballs either. I don't think it requires it. Even after pressure cooking, they still held their shape just fine. You can make the meatballs earlier in the morning and then just make the curry fresh, so this recipe is one that you can split, if you are in a rush. I've added potatoes to this recipe, to give it a little extra something, but you can avoid that if you just want to keep it plain.
There are a few steps to this recipe, but mainly because it is cooked in the pressure cooker. To give you a brief summary, the meatballs are cooked in the cooker, then later the potatoes are added and cooked again in the cooker, then we do away with the lid of the cooker, and just add in the coconut milk and curry leaves.
The spice level of this curry is absolutely perfect for adults, but if you wish to give them to younger kids, I would omit the fresh green chilies, that I added in the curry. My older one was able to handle the spice, but not so with the little ones.
Ingredients to form the balls:-
1 kilo beef mince
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
handful of fresh coriander leaves chopped fine
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
3/4 tsp of coriander powder
2 tbsps of vinegar
salt to taste
Ingredients to be ground for the curry:-
8 dry red Kashmiri chilies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
5 peppercorns
5 cloves
5 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1" stick of cinnamon
1 cup of water
Other ingredients:-
2 green chilies cut into 3 pieces
1 large onion
1 large tomato
salt to taste
2 cups of water
1 large potato, or 2 medium ones (optional), peeled and cut in fairly big pieces
6 tbsps of coconut powder reconstituted with 1 cup of water
6-8 curry leaves
Method:-
Start by making the meatballs. Simply add all the spice powders, cumin powder and coriander powder and salt to taste. Add the vinegar, ginger garlic paste and fresh coriander leaves. Form into balls. Cling wrap and set aside in the fridge.
To make the curry, you need to grind a few ingredients first.
In the mixer, add the red chilies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cloves, ginger, garlic , turmeric powder and cinnamon. You will need to add around a cup of water to get a nice thick paste.
In a large pressure cooker, heat your oil. Then fry the onions till golden. Add the tomatoes and green chilies. Add in the spice paste. Cook for a few minutes then add in 2 cups of water and salt to taste. let the curry get nice and hot, then add in your meatballs. Make sure they are all covered nicely in the gravy, but do not fidget with them too much. A quick shake of the pressure cooker will do. Cover and put the heat on high. When it whistles, lower and time for 10 minutes.
After 20 minutes is over, use a fork to let out the steam, then open the cooker. In the meanwhile, peel and cut the potatoes. Do not dice them too small or they will disintegrate. Wash your curry leaves and pat dry. Prepare your coconut milk by adding around a cup of water to reconstitute it.
Ok back to the recipe, Add the potatoes, give it a little shake to make sure the curry covers the potatoes, then close the cooker and put the heat back on. As soon as it whistles, turn the heat off, and open the lid of the cooker with a fork. If you delay at this point, the potatoes can overcook. Once you've opened the cooker, put the heat back on, add in your coconut milk and your curry leaves. Let it get to just about boiling point (do not over boil your coconut milk as it could cause it to curdle). Turn off the heat and serve with cooked white rice. Enjoy!
NOTE: I add the potatoes after the meatballs have been cooked, as the potatoes do not require as much time as the meatballs. The coconut milk is also added later so that it won't split. And finally, I like to add the curry leaves along with the coconut milk, as I found it helps gives the curry a fresh burst of flavor when added right at the end. I do the same with my coconut meat curry too.
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