Thai Meatballs in Savory Curry Sauce

These Thai meatballs are inspired by the Firefly Grill’s chicken curry meatball appetizer.  Actually they’re a little more than inspired.  Firefly’s sous chef, Corey, shared this recipe with me.  I kept it as close to the original as possible.  I adjusted the quantities since most of us cooking at home find it easier to use recipes that serve 4-6 people rather than 92-100.

How to Make Thai Meatballs

For the meatballs~  Pour 1 inch chicken broth into a slow cooker, cover and turn on high.  Then mix together the following ingredients:

1. 3 lbs. ground chicken
2. 3 eggs
3. 1/3 cup dried parsley
4. 1/3 cup dried cilantro
5. 10 garlic cloves, minced
6. 2 tablespoons dried thyme
7. 1 1/2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
8. 2 tablespoons ground coriander
9. 2 tablespoons salt
10. 2 teaspoons ground pepper
11. 2 cups oats

Portion out the meatballs into the desired size.  Place meatballs in the slow cooker, cover and steam until they are cooked through, approximately 25-40 minutes.

For the curry~ Put the following in a soup pot over medium heat:

1. 6 ounces fresh spinach
2. 2 medium onions, diced
3. 2 cups carrots, chopped
4. 2 cups celery, chopped
5. 1 red bell pepper, chopped
6. 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
7. 1 tablespoon fish sauce
8. 1 tablespoon salt
9. 1 teaspoon white pepper
10. 2 tablespoons green curry paste
11. 1 tablespoon curry powder
12. 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
13. 2 cans of coconut milk, full fat & unsweetened

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Puree with a hand immersion blender until smooth.

Serve the Thai meatballs over rice and liberally pour sauce over them.  Enjoy!

Not only are these Thai meatballs delicious but they’re easy to make too!  I’ve pared down the recipe to make 12-14 very large meatballs.  I find that 1-2 are just right as a serving one person.  If you ask our 19 year old son who lays tile all day, he’ll tell you 4 meatballs over a mound of rice with plenty of sauce is just about right.

When to use fresh herbs and when to use dry herbs?

Nothing brings meal to life than fresh herbs.  They are a chef’s secret weapon.  Not only do their flavors enhance a dish, fresh herbs also add vibrant color and a wild array of olfactory elements to the party.  So why not always use fresh herbs?  Why should you ever use dried herbs?  Keep reading or check out my little 1 Minute with Madalaine video:

Dried herbs are best used when they are added in the beginning and cooked or simmered for a length of time.  Heat and time unlock their flavors and allow them to fully realize their potential.  Fresh herbs are best utilized at the end with little to no heat.  A little heat is great, but too much heat can breakdown and destroy the essence of fresh herbs.

Can you Freeze Thai Meatballs?

If you don’t think you’ll be devouring all these Thai meatballs in one sitting, not to worry, they make great leftovers!  They keep beautifully for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.  You can also freeze both the sauce and the meatballs for up to 5 months.  I recommend freezing the meatballs in a ziplock freezer bag and the sauce in a separate air tight container.  For a quick and tasty dinner, warm the sauce and meatballs in the microwave or, better yet… steam the meatballs until they’re hot all the way through.  Steaming is easy to do and it keeps the meat from getting tough.

Variations

• Use a combo of green & red bell peppers

The original recipe calls for 1 green bell pepper and 1 red bell pepper.  It also calls for yellow curry paste.  In the recipe below I used 2 red bell peppers because well… green bell peppers and I are not on good terms.  Let’s just leave it at that.

• Switch out the green curry paste for yellow or red curry paste

I used green curry paste instead of yellow because as much as I love our small town, our culinary resources are quite limited.  The sauce was excellent with green curry paste and quite frankly, it’s excellent with red and yellow curry paste too.

• Instead of serving with white rice, try pairing the Thai meatballs and sauce with zucchini noodles, soba noodles, brown rice, or riced cauliflower.
• Use ground turkey or a combo of pork, turkey and chicken
• Make smaller meatballs and serve with the sauce on the side with toothpicks for a fun appetizer

Lately the Firefly has been offering chicken curry meatballs as an appetizer.  If you’re passing by, definitely pop in and give them a try!  Then give this recipe a go and let me know what you think.