Chicken Curry Meatballs

With the holiday season upon us, it is time to think about whipping up fancy dishes for parties and potlucks. Here is an Indian twist on a party-standby: meatballs. Since these are made with chicken instead of beef and require some additional ingredients as a part of the meat mixture, you can't skimp on time and use frozen - but I was able to whip up a batch in about half an hour and then turn the cooking duties over to the crock pot for a few hours of simmering.

The secret to easy preparation is using an already-made simmer or cooking sauce as the base for the sauce. I used Patak's Mild Curry Cooking Sauce, although there are many options available in the international aisle of your grocery store. Select a sauce and adjust the amount of curry powder below based on your own (or your guests') tolerance for curry and spiciness. The version I made came out fairly mild - acceptable to those who aren't big fans of curry or spicy foods, but with enough flavor to stimulate the taste buds of those who are.

If you aren't serving these up on toothpicks for a party, try ladling a few meatballs and some sauce over rice (I used Lotus Foods Bhutanese Red Rice, a whole grain rice with a lovely reddish tint and good texture). I also included green beans and rose sharbat for my meal.

Chicken Curry Meatballs (~ 30-35 meatballs)
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (~ 3/4 cup)
3 medium gloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. curry powder [or more, depending on taste]
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. ground chicken
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 jar (12 - 15 oz.) curry simmer sauce [select mild, medium, or hot to suit your taste]
1 can (14 oz.) light or low-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes, until onion is soft and lightly colored. Add garlic, curry powder, salt, and pepper, cook about 30 seconds (until curry is fragrant). Remove from heat (pour into a small bowl, if desired) and allow to cool for a few minutes.

2. Position an oven rack so that it is 4-6 inches from the broiling unit in your oven and preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Combine the ground chicken, bread crumbs, egg, cilantro, and onion mixture in a large bowl and mix well (use your hands if necessary - they are going to get dirty in just a minute anyway). Form the mixture into 30-35 walnut-sized meatballs (I used the tablespoon from my silverware drawer to scoop out just about the right amount of mixture for a meatball) and place these on the baking sheet.

4. Broil about 7 minutes. The meatballs will be more solid - but not cooked through.

5. In a large saucepan [or a crock pot], stir together the simmer sauce, coconut milk, and stock. Add the meatballs and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and cook gently for 30 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. [If using a crock pot, simmer four hours on low heat.]

Chicken Tikka Masala

Continuing on with recipes from the Indian feast of a few nights ago, here's the recipe for the chicken tikka masala that we made using the mint chicken tikka kabaabs I described earlier. Since you'll only need about half or three-quarters of the tikkas, you can save the extra tikkas for another meal, or give them to someone who needs a little extra meat with their dinner. If you aren't a fan of chicken, try substituting cooked vegetables, paneer cheese, lamb, or fish (if using fish, add it just before serving so that it does not disintegrate in the sauce).

Chicken Tikka Masala (~ 4-6 servings)
1/2 - 3/4 recipe Mint Chicken Tikka Kabaabs, removed from skewers

Fried Onion Paste
1 cup melted ghee or vegetable oil
2 T. ginger paste
4 cloves garlic, peeled (or minced)
1 large onion, sliced into thin half rings
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Masala Sauce
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (leaves + stems)
1 T. dried cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground paprika
1 tsp. garam masala
1 cup water
1/2 cup light cream

1. Prepare fried onion paste: Warm ghee over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic (if using minced garlic, do not add) and fry for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove onions and garlic to a paper towel to allow excess ghee to drain off, reserve ghee for masala sauce. Place onions, garlic, and ginger in food processor and process until well minced. Add yogurt and process again until smooth. Set fried onion paste aside.

2. Add tomatoes and cilantro to food processor and process until pureed.

3. In a large pan combine fried onion paste, 1 T. of the reserved ghee, and tomato-cilantro puree. Cook over medium-high heat until juices evaporate, about 7 minutes.

4. Add dried cilantro leaves, cumin, paprika, and garam masala, stir and cook about 1 minute. Add water and chicken pieces, cook about 5 minutes.

5. Add cream and continue to simmer about 5 minutes, until all flavors are well-blended. Serve with a garnish of fresh cilantro.

Mint Chicken Tikka Kabaabs

After returning from India last year, I vowed to learn at least basic Indian cooking skills so that I wouldn't have to always get my Indian food fix at the restaurant down the street. Never one to just dip my toe in the water, I jumped into the deep end and got Neelam Batra's 1,000 Indian Recipes. After trying out a few of the easier recipes and reading through much of the cookbook to get an idea of what is involved in the cooking, this evening I invited several friends over for an evening of adventures in Indian cooking. Our main course was chicken tikka masala (which is, technically, a British invention if you believe the stories), made with grilled chicken tikkas (chunks of boneless breast meat). I'll post the recipe for the masala portion of the dish in a subsequent entry - for starters, here is the mint marinade that I made for the tikkas. These also make a great entree on their own, if you aren't up for the extra steps needed to make tikka masala.

Mint Chicken Tikka Kabaabs
Marinade
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 small green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 small green chili peppers, stems removed
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 T. ginger paste
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. garam masala

Tikkas
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. boneless / skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
8 - 10 bamboo or metal skewers (if using bamboo, soak in water for at least 30 minutes prior to use)

Finishing Glaze
1-2 T. melted butter or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. dried fenugreek leaves or dried cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chaat masala

1. Combine onion, bell pepper, chili peppers, garlic, ginger, and mint in a food processor and process until well minced and mixed.

2. Add yogurt, lime juice, and garam masala and process until everything is well blended and smooth. [Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to use a blender for this step.]

3. Pour marinade into a large bowl, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup for basting, and add chicken chunks. Stir to make sure that all pieces are coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours.

4. When ready to cook, prepare finishing glaze by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Place chicken chunks on skewers, about 5-6 pieces per skewer. Discard used marinade.

5. Grill skewers, basting occasionally, until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Alternatively, broil for about 5-10 minutes, baste skewers, cover with foil, and cook at 450F for about 25 minutes.

6. Just before removing tikkas from grill, baste with finishing glaze and cook for about 1 minute longer.