Growing up, mom and grandma used to make these fennel-cumin meatballs for dinner, paired with a steaming bowl of rasam and curried potatoes. To date, this is still the foods that I crave for.
Sharing my family's simple lamb meatball recipe - be like me and make a big batch for the freezer so you can pop some in the oven for a quick and tasty meal! I am not sure if this recipe is Indian, Moroccan or Asian but I guarantee you it is 100% delicious.
Recipe makes around 45 - 50 meatballs depending on size.
INGREDIENTS
400g minced mutton
2 egg yolks
2-3 chili padi, chopped
2-3 tablespoon breadcrumbs
2 tablespoon red chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon fennel, grounded coarsely
1 white onion, chopped
2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coriander, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a pan, stir fry onion and ground up fennel until golden brown.
2. In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients, and mix in the fried onion. Make sure all ingredients are mixed in evenly - use your hands if you must!
3. With clean hands, roll mixture into balls - whatever size you like!
4. Place meatballs on a baking tray with a tiny bit of oil. Bake for 10-15 mins or until browned, in 200 degrees heat. Turn the meatballs mid-way to ensure even crusting!
5. Pack remaining uncooked meatballs in a container, keep it in the freezer for future yumminess.
ALY'S COOKING TIPS
1. DO NOT skip the first step. Browning the onions and fennel creates a flavour depth that cannot be replicated with using raw onions. Don't be lazy - do the right thing!
2. Instead of breadcrumbs, I have used ground up plain crackers or graham crackers as a substitute. Or if you have time, mega-toast a piece of bread and grind it up. I personally bought my breadcrumbs in a box from Redmart.
3. You can pan fry these babies if you do not have an oven. Brown it to your liking. My husband likes them extra crusty on the outside so I tend to brown mine till dark brown.
4. You can do a 50/50 mix of minced chicken and mutton for a slightly healthier and lighter alternative.
5. Egg yolks are used to ensure the meatballs remain juicy when cooked. You can add more/less egg yolks and breadcrumbs until you get a consistency that you like - they shouldn't be sloppy but MOIST (yucks this word!)
6. To avoid sticking when frozen, I usually dump the whole tray of meatballs in the freezer for 5-10 mins before packing it into a container.