Spicy Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce/ Mince Kebab and Tomato Chutney

Spicy Meatballs and Tomato Sauce/Mince Kebabs and Tomato Chutney served with Roti and Simple Carrot Salad

If you are a fan of meatballs with some extra flavor then this is the recipe for you. It is a very forgiving recipe that can be adjusted to taste slightly. These can be deep fried or baked. I prefer the taste of the deep fried version but I very often bake them to save time and use less oil. I usually serve these with a basic South African Indian spicy tomato chutney and roti. They can however be served on their own as appetizers, with marina and spaghetti, as a meatball sub and a host of other options. At home we call this mince kebab chutney, hence the multiple names in the title.

I LOVE these made with ground lamb and it is what I use most of the time... but sometimes ground lamb may not easily be on hand, and I'm lazy to drive to my favorite butcher, so I substitute with lean ground beef. I use a ton of onion and cilantro in the meatball but if you choose to use less it will still turn out great. Another ingredient that really adds to the flavor of both the meatball and the tomato sauce, is the red curry powder (Durban masala), if you do not have this or are lazy to mix it using the linked recipe, feel free to substitute with some chili powder instead. It would not taste exactly the same but it will get you by.

Cilantro, Garlic, Onion and Thai Green Chili

I am in no way a professional chef and possess none of those amazing knife skills you see on TV, so I opt to use an electric chopper to get my ingredients super fine but not watery. I was between electric choppers and doing research on what I would purchase right before I made this dish for my family. My previous mini chopper was the KitchenAid 3.5 cup chopper which worked well the first year before it became super frustrating. The blade would get stuck in the onion or a piece of garlic and then not spin. I would have to open it up each time to pull out the veggie, then cut it into smaller pieces and try again. It was so time consuming it defeated the purpose of using a chopper.

This time I picked the cheaper (~$20) Ninja Express Chopper due to great reviews. I had read some complaints about food getting stuck in the top attachment/motor so I was careful not to overfill it and to use the food shield that was supplied with it. I was very impressed with my first trial of the Ninja Express Chopper for this dish. It was SO easy to put together and super quick to mince the ingredients to the perfect consistency without making it watery. I hope it lasts, but even if it doesn't the lower price point makes me feel better.

Egg and a slice of wet bread helps to bind and hold the meatball together. I usually throw all the ingredients together in a large bowl, mix and shape using thoroughly washed hands. I also only turn the oven on once its all mixed together, giving the mixture a few minutes to rest. The oven pre-heats while I shape them into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with foil and greased with olive/vegetable oil. To get a little of the fried effect you can lightly drizzle oil over the meatballs before placing in the oven. I have one of those spray bottles so I can spray the oil lightly over. If deep frying be extra gentle not to let the meatball fall apart. Keep in mind the meatballs will shrink slightly as they cook.

The spicy tomato sauce/tomato chutney is used in many of my recipes or as a side to many of my dishes. I may change it up slightly but the base is the same and you will see this throughout my blog. Be sure not to burn the spices as this can make the dish bitter.

I choose to blend the tomato, if I am lazy to chop into small cubes, however if you like to have more texture, feel free to dice using a knife. I also prefer to use Roma Tomatoes and blend the garlic in with the tomato.

Spiciness can be adjusted to taste and adding a little sugar helps to balance the acidity.

Cooking the sauce for a little longer while partially covered to cook off the moisture, avoids turning this into a tomato soup. At the end adding in the meatballs to simmer for a few minutes really enhances and blends the flavors.

Meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce

The meatballs can also be made ahead of time and frozen for later use. Please comment if you try it and let me know how it turns out.

Spicy Meatballs with Tomato Sauce Recipe

Yield : ~ 40 meatball (1.5 inch in size)

Prep Time ~ 15 - 20min

Cook Time ~ 1hr 15min

Ingredients

Meatballs/Kebabs

• 1.5 lb ground lamb or ground beef

• 1 bunch cilantro (finely minced)

• 1 medium onion (finely minced)

• 4 cloves garlic (finely minced or pressed)

• 1/2 tsp minced/ground ginger

• 2 thai green chili (finely minced)

• 1/2 Tbsp red curry powder/Durban Masala (substitute with 2 tsp chili powder if needed)

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp salt (or adjust to taste)

• 1 slice bread slightly wet with water

• ~3-4 Tbsp Olive/Vegetable Oil

Tomato Sauce/Chutney

• 1 medium onion (diced)

• 6-8 roma tomatoes (chopped small or blended)

• 1 clove garlic (ground or pressed)

• 1/2 tsp minced/ground ginger

• 2 Tbsp Olive/Vegetable oil

• 2 Tbsp red curry powder/Durban Masala (substitute with 2 tsp chili powder if needed)

• 1 tsp salt (or adjust to taste)

• 1 tsp sugar

Method

1. Finely mince onion, cilantro, thai green chili, garlic and ginger. An electric chopper can be used to make the process easier.

2. Place ground lamb/beef, salt, red curry powder, cilantro, onion, thai green chili, egg and wet bread in large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and allow to rest for a few minutes.

3. Preheat oven at 400 deg F and line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly grease using olive/vegetable oil.

4. Shape mixture into 1.5inch balls and space evenly apart on baking tray. Lightly drizzle or spray the top of the meatballs with oil.

5. Cook for 30 min or until cooked through.

6. While the meatballs are cooking make the tomato sauce. Place sauce pan on medium heat and coat with about 2 Tbsp oil.

7. Add onions and fry until translucent and starting to brown ~7min

8. Add red curry powder and fry for 2-3 min stirring continuously. (Be extra careful not to let the spices burn at this step)

9. Add the blended/chopped tomato, ginger and garlic. Stir and add the salt and sugar. Simmer partially covered for ~30 minute or until the liquid has mostly cooked off.

10. Add the meatballs which should be ready by now and simmer for another 10 - 15 min allowing the flavors to blend.

11. Garnish with Cilantro and serve with simple carrot salad and roti or over rice.

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