Curried Meatballs With Eggplant Recipes

CURRIED MEATBALLS WITH EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Rinse the rice twice, drain, then place in a saucepan and mix in half the ginger. Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover and cook 15 minutes. Set aside, covered. Heat a large sauté pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Cook on medium-high until seeds start to dance and smell fragrant. Turn off heat. Remove to a mortar. Add chile flakes and pulverize.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the ghee or oil to the pan. Add onion and sauté on low until very lightly browned. Remove. Add remaining ghee or oil and sauté eggplant on medium until lightly browned. Remove.
• Mix ground meat with half the onions, half the ground spices, 6 tablespoons of the rice, the egg, half the mint and salt to taste. Form into 1-inch meatballs. Sauté meatballs in pan on medium until lightly browned. Don't worry if a few of them break up. Remove. Add poblano, remaining ground spice mixture, garam masala and remaining ginger to pan. Sauté on medium until poblano wilts.
• Add tomatoes, simmer on low 5 minutes, scrape bottom of pan, add 1 cup water, then return eggplant, remaining onion and meatballs to pan. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and chile if needed. Reheat rice on low. Dust curry with remaining mint and serve with rice.

MEATBALLS WITH JAMAICAN-STYLE CURRY

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

VEGAN EGGPLANT MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Place the breadcrumbs in a medium bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Transfer to a rimmed sheet pan and spread in an even layer. Bake until the breadcrumbs are lightly golden (10 minutes or so), stirring midway through. Transfer them to a large plate and set aside.
• Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• Line the sheet pan with aluminum foil and set the eggplant on top. Prick it 3 to 4 times with a fork and roast until a pairing knife easily slips into the center (40 to 50 minutes). It should be very tender throughout. Remove the eggplant from the oven and use scissors to cut an X in the bottom. Transfer it, stem side up, to a colander and set in the sink and let it drain and cool for 20 minutes.
• Set the eggplant on a cutting board and slice it open lengthwise and scoop out the flesh and place it in the bowl of a food processor Add the pureed carrot (or egg), lentils, garlic, basil, parsley, and nutritional yeast (or chickpea flour) and ¾ teaspoon of salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Process for 12 one-second pulses to combine. Add the bread crumbs and pulse 2 to 3 times to combine.
• Scrape the mixture in a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap flush against the surface, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or overnight.
• Shape the eggplant mixture into golf ball-size pieces and roll them until they are nice and round.
• Heat the grapeseed oil and remaining ½ cup of olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
• Drop one of the balls into the oil, it should immediately sizzle-if not, let the oil heat some more. Add a few more balls to the oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Fry the "meatballs" in batches, browning them on all sides (3 to 5 minutes for each batch).
• Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and serve immediately.