Indian Inspired Meatball Curry

Indian Inspired Meatball Curry is mildly spiced, with tender seasoned meatballs cooked in tomato-based sauce with okra.  This recipe was inspired by Indian korma, a type of mild curry, and the meatballs would likely be made of lamb. While this recipe requires a little bit of work making and frying the meatballs, the end result is well-worth the effort.  Perfect for a Sunday dinner with family and friends with a starter of Breaded Cauliflower, Indian Inspired Meatball Curry is rich with a profusion of flavors.  Serve Indian Inspired Meatball Curry with steamed rice, warm naan or as is.  Refrigerate any unfinished portion of the curry and reheat it for a great lunch. 

Prep Time Meatballs: 45 minutes plus 30 minutes refrigeration time, Prep Time Sauce: 15 minutes, Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.  Yields approximately 42 golf ball size meatballs.  Serves 6 to 8.

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Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

• 1 lb Ground Beef (73/27 blend recommended)
• 1 lb Ground Pork
• 2 Serrano Chilis, minced
• 2 Tbs crushed Ginger
• 2 Tbs minced Garlic
• ½ Tb ground Cumin
• ½ Tb Garam Masala
• 1 Tb granulated Onion
• ½ Tb coarse Sea Salt
• 1 Tb minced Mint leaves
• 1 Tb minced Cilantro leaves
• ½ cup Unseasoned Bread Crumbs
• 1 large Egg, beaten

For the sauce:

• ¼ cup Cooking Oil
• 1 Serrano Chili, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 large Onion, peeled, trimmed and sliced lengthwise to yield approximately 1 ½ cups
• 1 Tb crushed Ginger
• 1 Tb minced Garlic
• 1 lb Okra, trimmed and sliced into ½-inch pieces
• ¼ tsp coarse Sea Salt
• ½ tsp Garam Masala
• ½ tsp ground Cumin
• ½ tsp ground Turmeric
• 1 28-oz. can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 cup Water
• 2 Tbs minced Mint leaves
• 2 Tbs minced Cilantro leaves

Preparation:

1. Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large mixing bowl and mix with your hands until just combined.
2. Form golf ball sized meatballs with your hands and place in a container, separating the layers of meatballs with wax paper sheet(s), until all the mixture is made into meatballs; this recipe should yield around 42 meatballs. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer until ready to cook.
3. Pour the cooking oil into a large, deep pan, we use a fricassee pan for this, and fry the meatballs over a medium-high heat in batches, gently turning them, until golden brown. Remove the fried meatballs to a bowl and continue in batches until all the meatballs have been fried and removed to the bowl; cover the bowl and keep warm.
4. While browning the meatballs, slice the serrano chile and onion and combine in a bowl.
5. Add the the onion and serrano chili to the pan and sauté, uncovered, over a medium-high heat until the onion has softened and is turning golden brown.
6. Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and sauté, uncovered, for 2 minutes, then add the sea salt, garam masala, cumin, and turmeric to the pan; stir to mix and sauté, uncovered, for 1 minute.
7. Add the crushed tomatoes and water to the sauce, lower to a medium heat, cover and cook for 45 minutes.
8. While the sauce is cooking, trim and slice the okra and reserve in a bowl. Mince the mint and cilantro leaves and reserve in a second bowl.
9. After 45 minutes, add the meatballs and any drippings back into the sauce, then add the okra to the sauce; stir gently, cover and continue to cook for 30 minutes.
10. Remove the Indian Inspired Meatball Curry from the heat, stir in minced mint and cilantro leaves, cover and allow it to rest for 5 minutes then serve.