Spicy Peanut Curry Meatballs

WE HAVE FLAVOR HERE PEOPLE!

This is a solid comfort meal. Really hits the spot on a cold day, rainy day....who am I kidding any day this will be a crowd pleaser.

(makes 4 servings, 3 meatballs per serving)

Homemade Red Curry Sauce: A Flavor Goddess

First thing we need to do. NEED TO DO. It's the homemade red curry sauce. Its so fresh and flavorful, I will definitely be creating a lot of recipes using this. I adopted this recipe from minimalist baker, who always puts out fantastic recipes. I used haberno peppers to give it a subtle smoky kick.

SPICY RED CURRY SAUCE: INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp of fresh ground pepper

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• 2 habanero peppers, seeded and chopped

• 1 stalk lemongrass, chopped

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger

• 3 tbsp of garlic infused olive oil (or 3 tbsp of olive oil and 3 garlic cloves)

• 1 tsp of turmeric

• 3 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

• Zest and juice of 1 medium lime

• 6 chopped green onions

• 3 tbsp of avocado oil

• 1 tbsp of maple syrup

Loosely chop all ingredients above and blend it together. Highly recommend you taste test it (only a little, it has a spicy kick) so you understand why I'm hyping it up as much as I am. The fresh flavors are insane.

After you're done with the red curry sauce, we'll move on to the meatballs. Preheat your oven to 375 F and then follow the recipe below.

THAI MEATBALL INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb lean ground chicken (I used 93% lean)

• 4 green onions

• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

• 1 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 tbsp homemade spicy red curry sauce (see recipe above)

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 1 egg

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp and 1/8 tsp of ground pepper

• 1/2 cup shredded zucchini

• 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

Mix all ingredients above in a large bowl. Divide and roll into 12 balls. That will be medium-large size meatballs, but in this dish these are the star of the show. Use parchment paper for an easy cleanup.

Cook the meatballs in the oven for 10 mins. After 10 mins, take the meatballs out and switch the pan so the meatballs in the back of the oven are now in the front (and front meatballs are now in the back). Then continue to cook the meatballs for another 10 minutes (so a total of 20 minutes). Your oven is NOT the same temperature throughout. The back of the oven is hotter than the front of the oven. So to ensure you cook everything evenly you have to rearrange your food accordingly halfway it is done cooking.

While the meatballs are in the oven we can work on the glorious spicy peanut sauce.

SPICY PEANUT CURRY SAUCE: INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup Homemade Spicy Red Curry Sauce (see recipe above)

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 6 tbsp of peanut butter (I used Trader Joe's Creamy, No Stir Peanut butter Spread)

• 3 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 12 chives, chopped

• 2 tbsp sesame oil

• 3 tbsp and 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce

• 13.5 oz can of light coconut milk

Start with mixing the coconut milk, soy sauce and red curry in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Mix in the peanut butter slowly, whisking it evenly into the sauce so it's not one large chunk. Add the remaining ingredients to the sauce, but save the brown sugar for last. Depending on how sweet your peanut butter is, you might want to adjust the amount of brown sugar you add. I would recommend adding one tablespoon of brown sugar at a time, tasting it and then deciding if more is needed.

Once the meatballs are done, add them into the sauce, allowing them to marinate. This is the kind of meal that will taste even better the next day.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS: INGREDIENTS

• Rice (I usually serve the meatballs over a bed of brown rice)

• 1 bell pepper chopped

• 1 eggplant, peeled and chopped

• 1 zucchini, chopped

• toasted peanuts, for garnish

• extra chopped cilantro, for garnish
  

To sneak more veggies into this meal, steam the chopped eggplant, zucchini, and red bell pepper in a separate covered pan. I add a heap of sesame oil and a dash of soy sauce to the veggies when steaming them over medium heat, stirring occasionally. You could add the veggies directly into the wok to have them cook, but they will soak up some of that beautiful peanut curry sauce. Especially the eggplant, it soaks up a lot of sauce that I would rather keep to myself.

Plate the rice and veggies, top with meatballs and sauce, and garnish with peanuts and cilantro. Enjoy!