Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Coconut Sauce

        

           It was actually supposed to be chicken korma but I didn’t have a special paste. I know that for the one who lives in India it would be a lame excuse to say that I couldn’t find it; I should better be honest from the beginning: I didn’t even bother to try. The thing is, one day as I was wondering what I should do with the chicken mince that I had in the fridge (and I definitely wanted to try something new) I remembered that I saw a recipe on one website. As I noticed the korma paste in the list of ingredients, I got a bit confused but then decided to try to make a dish without it. And it actually turned out to be so delicious and jampacked with flavours that from then on I kept cooking it without any korma paste whatsoever.  I have a strong suspicion that if I get the paste and try to make the dish according to the original recipe my husband would no more be happy to have it for his dinner as in general he’s not a big fan of the Indian cuisine, to put it mildly. And I for one, most probably, would also prefer a simpler, not so spicy sauce. There’s no denying that my dish cannot by any means be called “chicken korma” any more, so it’s just “chicken meatballs in tomato coconut sauce” – a comforting stew with a touch of the Asian flavours.

Recipe adapted from “Delicious” magazine (www.taste.com.au)

Ingredients

450 gm chicken mince

1 small onion, coarsely grated

1 egg, lightly beaten

40 gm whole wheat bread breadcrumbs

1 tbsp coriander roots, finely chopped

2 tbsp freshly grated ginger

2 tbsp olive oil

400g can chopped tomatoes

200ml canned coconut milk

200ml chicken stock

2 tsp brown sugar

salt and black pepper to taste

a few coriander leaves, to garnish

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with foil, greased with some olive oil.
2. Place the chicken mince, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, chopped coriander and half the ginger in a bowl with some salt and black pepper. Mix with your hands until well combined. Using damp hands, roll mixture into 18 walnut-sized balls, then place on the tray in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes until light golden.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add the remaining ginger and stir for 1 minute until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, then add coconut milk, stock and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken meatballs and simmer for 20 minutes until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Sprinkle coriander leaves on top.