These meatballs are easier than you might think, which makes them the only thing of their kind in my life right now. (book manuscript, SEO, and house hunting, i’m looking at you.)
With the use of my trusty food processor (really earning it’s place in my kitchen at the moment after a long hiatus), these came together in a snap. They also didn’t require the purchase of any unusual ingredients, which is what usually stops me from diving into cuisines I love to eat in restaurants. True, these guys probably do not count as authentic Thai cuisine, but they tasted in the ballpark to me. A completely new kitchen direction.
The sauce is also amazing, and quick as a flash to make. I’ll definitely be bringing this one out again. I think the almond butter makes the sauce, if you can believe that. I was loosely inspired by this recipe that I found on Pinterest, and though I changed a lot of stuff (as usual, classic reverse psychology recipe follower) I kept the almond butter to see what happened. It was a good move (and maybe a source of inspiration for what to do with my jar of almond butter that sits at the back of my fridge, looking sad and lost in the crowd of other more-loved condiments.)
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- ¼ - ½ of a red onion, chopped roughly
- about a cup of cilantro leaves
- a scant cup of basil leaves
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 lbs chicken thighs or ground chicken (or turkey)
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons of thai green curry paste
- 2 teaspoons of almond butter
- juice of ½ a lime (about 4 teaspoons)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tea
- For the meatballs:
- Heat the oven to 400F/200C.
- Place the carrots, onion, herbs, lime juice, salt, garlic, and ground spices in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and paste-like. Scrape into a large mixing bowl.
- If using thighs: pulse the chicken thighs in the processor until ground. Otherwise, add the ground meat to the spice paste in the mixing bowl. Fold and stir to combine.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop out portions of the meat mixture and place them on the tray. I got 28 meatballs in total.
- Lightly coat the balls with baking spray or olive oil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, turn the meatballs over, and bake for another 15 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
- For the sauce: While the meatballs are baking, combine the coconut milk, curry paste, almond butter, lime juice, and garlic in a pan and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse flavors.
- Serve the meatballs with the sauce, but store leftover balls and sauce separately.