Pork Meatballs in Coconut and Tomato Sauce
I’m a huge fan of minced pork milder and sweeter than beef, and it takes on flavours such as garlic, herbs and spices beautifully, staying lovely and tender as it cooks. I often mix it with beef for lasagne or bolognese as it’s a great vehicle for flavour
SERVES
4
PEOPLE
Ingredients
For the paste
6 cloves garlic
80g fresh ginger
2 red chillies, deseeded
Coriander stalks (save the leaves for garnish)
For the meatballs
600g minced pork
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp Greek yogurt
Oil, for frying
For the sauce
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground coriander
1½ tsp turmeric
400ml tinned coconut milk
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
2 tsp fish sauce
Pinch of sugar
Sea salt and black pepper
Greek yogurt, to serve
Method
Blitz the garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander stalks together in a blender to make the paste.
Combine a third of the paste with the minced pork, soy sauce, sunflower oil and yogurt in a large bowl and mix well. Shape into about 20 small meatballs. Rest in the fridge for an hour, or overnight if you have time.
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the meatballs in batches, seasoning with salt, until golden brown all over and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Add a more oil to the same pan. Cook the onion over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the remaining paste and cook for 2 minutes, then add the cumin, coriander and turmeric and cook for another minute, stirring to prevent burning.
Pour in the coconut milk, tomatoes, fish sauce and sugar. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened. Season to taste.
Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and simmer for another 10 minutes so they absorb some of the flavour.
Garnish with reserved coriander leaves and serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt.
