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Meatballs, a delight of many, are rolled by hand and cooked by poaching, braising, frying, baking, and steaming. There are many versions of meatball recipes using different types of meats, fillers and spices, including vegetarian alternatives. There are a large variety of meatballs in the kofta family. Kofta is a Middle Eastern and South Asian meatball or dumpling. The word kofta is derived from the Persian/Iranian word kūfteh, meaning ‘to beat’. Meatballs/Kufteh come in various shapes in different cuisines around the world. I know a few different varieties and over time, would like to introduce them through my recipes.
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Meatballs in Creamy Ginger Sauce
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
INGREDIENTS
• 140 g/ 5 oz onion, diced finely
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 110 g/ 4 oz/ 1 medium carrot
• 1 rib celery
• 545 g/ 1.2 lb ground meat of choice (I used beef)
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 small bay-leaf
Sauce
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger -or- 1½ tsp dried, ground ginger
DIRECTIONS
◊ In a medium pot, add oil and when heated, sauté onions until edges start caramelizing. Spoon-out onto a small plate and let cool. Let any excess oil remain in the pot and also set the pot aside to cool.
◊ Clean/peel carrot and celery, using food processor, grind finely. Empty mixture into a medium bowl.
◊ Crumble meat over vegetable mixture, add cooled sautéed onion, salt, pepper, and mix briefly until all ingredients combine.
◊ While rolling meat mixture into 4cm/ 1½” diameter balls, place them in one layer in the cooled pot.
◊ Put lid on the pot and turn heat to medium. In about a minute, meatballs sweat and their juices start to boil. Lower heat to medium-low, and simmer for one minute. Gently pour hot water over every meatball (to wash any foam off meatballs), add the bay-leaf, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add more hot water if needed, so the liquid doesn’t dry up.
◊ After 20 minutes of simmering, turn off heat and remove meatballs and bay-leaf from liquid into a bowl. Strain liquid fine meshed sieve into small bowl to clear of any foam/particles. Skim any floating oil. Rinse off any cooked meat-foam on the sides of the pot.
◊ Return the cleared liquid back in the pot. If liquid is more than ½ cup, bring to a boil and let liquid evaporate down to ½ cup. Add meatballs, bay-leaf, heavy cream, grated ginger and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 2 minutes, and turn off the heat. Let meatballs sit in the sauce for 5~10 minutes before serving.
◊ In the photo, served with seasoned mashed-potato, in form of ‘un-fried-croquettes’.
~ Bon Appétit! ~
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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Your simmered meatballs with the ginger sauce sound very good. I liked your pretty presentation of your potato croquettes…they have to be perfect with the sauce. You were asking about what other flavor might go well. What about a little squeeze of lime juice or perhaps some lemon zest?
– Thank you, Karen. I will try lemon squeeze/zest next time! Thanks for the suggestion! 😀
I like the idea of the ginger sauce, and love the heat of ginger.
What a very unusual meat ball recipe for me but it sure looks very tasty & inviting too, dear Fae! A must try! Yummmmmmmm!
I love this ginger sauce. Fantastic on your meatballs but also on so many other dishes.
Thanks for another “no fry” meatball recipe! Until I started cooking Moroccan food, I thought all meatballs were fried. I’ve now learned that the braise/boil method you describe works just fine as long as you have a good flavorful sauce. I must try these as the sauce sounds creamy and delicious with the ginger.
How great! They sound delicious!
Your Meatballs in creamy ginger sauce is resembling to kofta…. It’s subtly spiced yet looking delicious and its meatballs are looking similar to my jackfruit balls of Kathal Kofta.
Hi Shobhnaa, I just checked out your jack-fruit Kathal Kofta. Your recipe is far more elaborate than my meatballs and quite interesting/yummy! When I was making my meatballs, I was wondering what else I can add to the meatballs to compliment the ginger. I think you helped me with that. I think some cilantro/coriander in the meatballs will enhance the flavor, don’t you think? 😀
Thank you Fae for having a glance at my recipe and for liking it
Yeah it has got an elaborated form because of first deep frying of balls and then whole gravy process. But all this worth the taste resulted.
Definitely addition of cilantro will enhance its flavor along with few finely chopped green chillies, if you like but you used pepper instead, its all fine. Your meatballs were simply awesome, already had a good combination of vegetables like carrot and celery, cilantro would be a slight add on ingredient.
This is perfect for my Boy! He loves meatballs and mash potatoes. I love that it’s also filled with carrots and celery inside. Thank you for this gorgeous recipe! I foresee dancing! And just to let you know, I’ve been making Khoresh Si’b almost every week because my boys keep asking for more. It’s now a firm favourite in our home! Hugs, Sharon
I very well may have to try this one Fae!
Wow, you’ve been productive with 3 posts in a row. I like the technique you use for cooking the meatballs, interesting!
I have never thought to pair meatballs with ginger sauce. What a great idea!
I learned about this sauce form a Swiss Niece of mine. She used dried ground ginger and it was just as tasty.
Meatballs are one of my favorites. This one looks excellent. Love the shape of the potatoes too.
Those look delicious! I like the cooking method, too.
What are the white dumpling-type things being served with the meatballs? Those look like they might be tasty as well.
Hi Suzette, This sauce goes very well with mashed potato or any kind of potato croquettes. Since the cream is rich, I just formed seasoned mashed potato like croquettes.
Love this, Fae. Not that I know a lot about meatballs (I’ve only started to eat them very recently) but yours don’t fall apart without egg? Yet, they look amazing in the photo. And love the simplicity of the sauce.
I never had meatballs fall apart… and no eggs. Roll them very well.
they delight me, for sure! 😉
Divine as usual Fae!
Love the sound of this sauce with meatballs.
I bet it’s delicious! I’ve got to try this ginger sauce!
Love the ginger sauce. That’s a must try.
Looks absolutely delish!
This is wonderful Fae, an Asian flare to these delicious meatballs. Love the ginger in the sauce.
I shall try this with veggies koftas. The gravy sounds yummy!
This is so like the Indian Kofta, Fae! Yum!!