Curried Turkey Meatballs

5 from 1 vote

Spicy curried turkey meatballs made with tender turkey meatballs simmered in a flavorful tomato curry sauce. Serve the curry with rice or naan for an easy family dinner.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Asian and Indian Recipes

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: - 8 servings

Calories: 389kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

Large Dutch oven or a large thick-bottomed pot
Bowls
Small food processor

Ingredients

Meatballs:

6 green onions Note 1
6 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger 2.5 cm
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 small pinch dried chili flakes
2 lbs ground turkey Note 2
1 large egg
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Curry sauce:

2 tablespoons oil
3 medium onions
10 garlic cloves
1½ inch ginger 4 cm
2½ teaspoons turmeric Note 3
4 teaspoons curry powder not too hot
4 teaspoons cumin
3 tablespoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can tomatoes finely crushed, 14 oz/ 400 g
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
2 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
cayenne pepper to taste
cilantro to garnish

US - EU

Instructions

Meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Blend spices: Roughly chop the green onions, garlic cloves, and ginger. Place them in a (small) blender together with the lemon juice, garam masala, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, and chili flakes. Blend until smooth.
6 green onions + 6 garlic cloves + 1 inch ginger + 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice + 1 tablespoon garam masala + 1 teaspoon coriander + ½ teaspoon cumin + ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper + 1 small pinch dried chili flakes
Meatball mixture: Transfer to a large bowl and add the ground meat, beaten egg, yogurt, and salt. Mix well with your hands until the mixture is quite sticky. With wet hands, form the meatballs, about 35 of them. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
2 lbs ground turkey + 1 large egg + 3 tablespoons plain yogurt + 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Bake the meatballs for about 15-20 minutes until lightly brown and cooked through. Remove them from the oven and set aside.

Curry sauce:

Saute: Chop the onions finely. Grate or crush the garlic cloves and grate the ginger and fresh turmeric. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large pan and cook these ingredients until they start to brown slightly (about 8 minutes) while stirring often.
3 medium onions + 10 garlic cloves + 1½ inch ginger + 2½ teaspoons turmeric + 2 tablespoons oil
Add the ground turmeric, curry powder, cumin, coriander, and black pepper and continue stirring until fragrant, about 1 or 2 minutes.
2½ teaspoons turmeric + 4 teaspoons curry powder + 4 teaspoons cumin + 3 tablespoons ground coriander + ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Simmer sauce: Add the chopped canned tomatoes, water, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for about 25 minutes, leaving a crack open. Blend the sauce with an immersion blender if necessary. If the tomatoes are very finely crushed, you might not need to blend the sauce; it's your choice (Note 3).
1 can tomatoes + 2 cups water + 1 bay leaf + 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
Adjust the taste with lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt.
1 tablespoon lemon juice + cayenne pepper + more salt
Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer very gently for a further 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with rice.
cilantro

Notes

Search and measure all the spices in a small bowl before you start cooking the onions.
Ground meat: You can also use ground beef or a mixture of ground beef and pork.
Turmeric: You can also use 2 small fresh turmeric pieces, each about the size of your little finger.
Blender: If you use a white hand blender, be aware that it will no longer be white after making this sauce. Turmeric will make it yellow, so if you want to avoid that, use a food processor, a dark-colored blender, or one made of a material other than plastic. The sauce is very hot; don't burn yourself when blending.

Nutrition