Meatballs with Jamaican-Style Curry

  4.3 – 3 reviews  
This recipe pays homage to the African diaspora, drawing on the flavors introduced by the spice trade in the Caribbean Islands. With a nod to India, spices are combined to make a homemade curry powder, which adds lots of warmth and depth to the coconut sauce. Feel free to adjust the spice amounts to your liking. For additional heat, a diced Scotch bonnet chile is traditionally used, but jalapeño chile can be substituted. Sesame oil is used to enhance the umami flavors in substitution of local island herbs.
Level: Easy
Total: 1 hr
Active: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings (18 meatballs)

Ingredients

  1. 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
  2. 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  3. 1 large egg
  4. 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Curry Powder, recipe follows
  5. 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  6. 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  7. 12 ounces ground lean beef sirloin (90/10)
  8. 12 ounces ground pork (80/20)
  9. 1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
  10. 1/4 cup chopped scallions (about 3 scallions)
  11. 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  12. 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  13. 6 thyme sprigs
  14. 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
  15. 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  16. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
  17. 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
  18. 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  19. 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  20. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  21. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  22. 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  23. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  24. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  25. 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon garlic, the egg, 1 tablespoon Curry Powder, the sesame oil and 1 teaspoon salt. In a separate large bowl, combine the beef, pork, jalapeno and scallions, then stir in the ginger-garlic mixture until well combined.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Check the meatball mixture for seasoning by taking a small amount and cooking a tester patty. Taste and adjust the remaining meatball mixture with more salt if necessary. 
  3. Drizzle 2 tablespoons vegetable oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Form the beef mixture into 18 meatballs, about 2 tablespoons each. Arrange onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake the meatballs, shaking the pan halfway through, until crispy on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes.  
  4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the thyme, the remaining 1 tablespoon garlic, remaining 1 tablespoon ginger and 2 teaspoons Curry Powder. Cook until aromatic, 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer over medium-low and cook until the sauce starts to thicken slightly, 10 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook until heated through. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
  5. Mix all of the spices together in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Makes about 1/4 cup.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 4 servings
Calories 698
Total Fat 56 g
Saturated Fat 21 g
Carbohydrates 12 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugar 2 g
Protein 37 g
Cholesterol 169 mg
Sodium 835 mg

Reviews

Tara Miller
This recipe is fun to make and creates a lovely curry! The meatballs are yummy! Carla, thank you for such a delicious meal!

Johnathan Carpenter
This is quite tasty. The only change I made was to add a whole can of coconut milk. I served it over cauliflower rice.

This definitely took me longer than the time the WCIA got! Mad Props to the contestants!

Tony Anderson
We love watching WCA! We don’t use curry and thought we would give this a try. The meatballs were good but we didn’t care for the sauce. I simmered it for a long time but in my opinion it didn’t have much depth in flavor.

 

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