Adapted from Jo Cooks, this was amazing. What caught my interest were the meatballs, they were pretty much how I make mine. The recipe looked mild; the hot stuff no longer works for the two of us. I changed up a few ingredients in part because of preference or simply that’s what I had on hand. The proof of the pudding might be in the eating, but for me the question has always been would we want to eat it again? Otherwise why write a recipe? Make the meatballs first. Extra lean ground chicken has minimal fat content, so care should be taken to keep the meatballs intact. And as with any meatballs, the outer layers should be cooked before sauce is added. Grating the onion helps, but you will need far less from grated onion than from diced.
As for the spices, I make my own garam masala and keep it in the deepfreeze. Commercial garam masala in my opinion is vastly inferior. That’s one of the Indian spices I refuse to buy, even from the Asian store. Similarly I keep fresh tomato sauce in the deepfreeze; unfortunately I used up the last bit for this recipe. Our tomato plants suffered this year and for the first time in decades we don’t have an abundant supply of tomatoes. Until the next crop of fresh wine ripened tomatoes I will have to rely on Passata, which is the best alternative. I find canned tomatoes harsh and for the same reason I rarely use tomato paste. I only use imported Hungarian Paprika; no other paprika gives the dept of flavour and vibrancy. As for curry powder there is mild or hot, but make sure it’s specifically for chicken. I buy mine from an Asian store and keep it in the deep freeze in a secure container.
Spices are expensive so people tend to hang onto them for decades… Never buy spice in bulk. Aromatics should be double, triple packed and stored in the deepfreeze for up to one to two years. Never keep paprika, chili powder, garam masala and curry powder in the cupboard. People don’t realize these spices have a short shelf life and will quickly loose their potency and colour. More about this here.
Butter Chicken Meatballs
Meatballs:
2 Tbsp olive oil
~300g extra lean ground chicken
1/4 onion grated
1/3 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 tsp garam masala
salt and pepper to taste
Sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
2 grated garlic
1 heaping tsp grated ginger
1/2 cup fresh tomato sauce or passata
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 heaping tsp mild madras curry powder
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 Tbsp Hungarian Paprika
1/2 cup homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
cilantro freshly chopped for garnish
• Start with the meatballs.
• Truly combine meatball ingredients in a shallow mixing bowl.
• Oil your hands or lightly wet them with water and form egg sized balls from the mixture.
• Add the oil to a non stick sauté pan and cook the meatballs on medium heat a couple minutes on each side, gently turning them over.
• Gently transfer meatballs to a plate and set them aside.
• Next make the sauce.
• Add the butter to the pan.
• Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the tomato sauce or passata, turmeric, cumin, curry powder, garam masala and Hungarian Paprika and chicken stock and stir.
• Bring the sauce to a simmer and slow cook for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.
• Stir in the cream.
• Add the meatballs to the pan and simmer for a few minutes to heat through.
• Sprinkle the top with cilantro, and serve with rice.
