Chicken Meatballs In Thai Peanut Red Curry

Our meat grocer has some great skinny, fresh sausage options. These are ready-to-cook chicken sausages with many interesting add-ins like fresh spinach, roasted peppers and spicy jalapeno, to name a few. I usually hate working with ground meat. Something about the texture puts me off. I would never make meatballs if I had to do all the work, shredding and grinding the meat myself. But these sausage links make my job easier. I simply shape them, bake them and dunk them in a mildly spiced, but rich curry. You can find a delicious Indian chicken kofta curry recipe here.

Now the following recipe is also based on the same principle. I baked the chicken meatballs and dunked them in a super flavorful, but even easier to make curry.

I was craving Thai that day, specifically, Thai peanut curry. I’ve had Thai noodles in a spicy peanut curry sauce, but had no clue how exactly it is made. So I decided to begin with a simple red curry base. To this, we add finely ground peanuts or freshly made peanut paste (which is nothing but creamy peanut butter). The peanut butter makes the curry silky smooth, creamy, slightly spicy but with a touch of sweetness. It’s just perfect; and I wonder why it took me this long to put such a simple twist on the classic Thai red curry.

If you use canned red curry paste, then this recipe is as easy as opening a couple of cans or bottles. Whisk together coconut milk, red curry paste and peanut butter, cook till thickened and add the baked meatballs. I whipped up a quick curry paste and even then, this made to the dinner table in roughly half an hour.

You can serve the curry along with traditional Thai jasmine rice, the flavors and aroma go so well together. Or you can serve with brown rice, couscous, noodles or whole-wheat pasta. I am sure it tastes great with rotis, naan and pita bread as well.

Like I mentioned earlier, the chicken meat that I use comes flavored with peppers, jalapeno and a bit of paprika. If you are using plain ground meat, simply mix in some finely chopped peppers and spices to add some kick. You can also sneak in some shredded vegetables and cheese for picky eaters.

CHICKEN MEATBALLS IN THAI PEANUT RED CURRY

You will need:

For the chicken meatballs,

• Ground chicken or fresh chicken sausage – 1 lb
• Onion – 1/2 cup, finely chopped
• Ginger – 1/2 tbsp, finely chopped or grated
• Garlic – 1 large clove, finely chopped
• Breadcrumbs – 1/2 cup (or more, as needed to form the meatballs)
• Salt, pepper and any other spice like paprika or cumin – to taste (to be used if you are using plain ground chicken for the recipe)

For the Thai peanut red curry,

• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Red curry paste – 3-4 tbsp (Find recipe here)
• Peanut butter – 1 1/2 tbsp
• Coconut milk – 1 can, around 1 1/2 cups
• Dark soy sauce – 1 tbsp
• Brown sugar – 1 tsp (can use white sugar too)
• Salt – to taste
• Lime juice – from half a lime
• Cilantro leaves – a few, to garnish

How to:

• Baked Chicken Meatballs: Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg.F and line a baking sheet with foil. Brush lightly with oil and keep aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients together and shape into 1-inch round balls. Arrange meatballs on the baking sheet without touching. Bake for 20 minutes, turning them over once, midway through the baking time. (I love meatballs with a nicely browned crust, but if you do not want that, reduce baking time by 5 minutes). Once done, remove meatballs from oven and keep aside.
• Thai peanut red curry: While the meatballs are in the oven, heat oil in a large pan or deep skillet. Fry the red curry paste till dark and aromatic. Add peanut butter and stir to combine.
• Now add coconut milk and whisk well to combine. Add soy sauce, sugar, salt and lime juice and bring to a gentle boil.
• Add the baked meatballs and simmer for 5 minutes or till curry is thickened to your liking.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve hot with steamed jasmine rice, over noodles or pasta.

Notes:

• Feel free to use any other ground meat in place of chicken like turkey, beef or lamb.
• Try this recipe with strips of chicken or even jumbo shrimp instead of making meatballs.
• You can also try grinding roasted peanuts instead of using peanut butter. That way, you get to introduce some texture into the curry as well.

The peanut butter adds creaminess and a subtle sweetness to an otherwise fiery Thai red curry.

This curry keeps well for a couple of days and the flavors get only better.

Tell me, do you like Thai flavors? Have you tried peanut curry sauce? Do share.

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