This is a very creative and tasty dish. It is a culinary delight if you ask me. I decided to learn how to make spicy meatballs wrapped in spinach and cooked in coconut sauce because it was always a constant battle to get my niece to eat vegetables whenever she would visit. I would tone down on the amount of spices used (of course) because she is still so young but all in all this was the perfect solution to my dilemma.
The double whammy of coconut (coconut milk and desiccated coconut) gives the dish a tropical theme and feel. You must probably be wondering how to go about creating this dish, let us waste no more time, come on and let us learn how to make spicy meatballs wrapped in spinach and cooked in coconut sauce.
Ingredients
- 20 leaves of spinach or more (depending on the number of meatballs you have)
- Enough water for boiling the spinach and extra ice-cold water
- 500g mince meat
- 2 large onions
- 3 large tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
- Salt to taste
- 2 table spoons ginger garlic paste
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- 2 bunches coriander
- 1teaspoons desiccated coconut
- 1-teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1-teaspoon cumin seeds
- 100ml coconut milk
- Place your list items here
Directions
How to prepare the meatballs and roll them into the spinach:
- Bring water to a boil and immerse the spinach leaves. Do not let them cook fully, just enough for them to wilt and soften. After about five minutes remove from the fire and immerse immediately to the ice-cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Add to the mince meat the following; curry powder, Spanish paprika, Salt to taste, half of the ginger garlic paste, green bell pepper, half the coriander and half the onion. Mix all the ingredients by kneading gently.
- Divide into golf sized balls. This recipe should yield about 8 -9 balls.
- Spread the spinach leaves on your work surface and place your meatballs on the pointed end. Roll the spinach towards the wider end. If the first leaf is not enough to cover the meatball properly add a second one. Be careful not to leave any part of the meatball exposed because it will disintegrate and end up in the sauce.
How to make the coconut sauce:
- Heat oil in a saucepan and add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them crackle for about 30 seconds and then add the desiccated coconut.
- Add the remaining onion and cook for five minutes until soft and translucent and the add the ginger and garlic paste. Cook this out for about a minute.
- Next, add the tomatoes, stir, lower the heat, cover and leave to simmer for about five minutes for them to soften and reduce.
- Add the coconut milk and salt to taste.
- Place the meatballs in the sauce and then add your beef stock that almost covers the meatballs.
- Cover and leave to simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes until the meatballs are done and the sauce reduces and thickens.
- Serve with a starch of your choice.
My mother (and than me) has made a vaitorian of this recipe for years. It is awesome. We add lemon juice and a few pieces of crystalized ginger to the sauce. We actually let the sauce simmer for a while than just dump it on the meatballs. I do not acutally measure the ketchup and brown sugar, but go by color and taste ( the sauce is on the browner side). I always make the meatballs from scratch, I think they are better that way. Now I am craving them.