Gluten Free Spicy Lamb Meatball Curry

This recipe is very easy and cheap to make, but tastes lovely, really warm and meaty! You can also make the sauce in advance, and have the raw meatballs in the fridge, so you can fry the balls and throw it all together when you are ready. I serve with plain boiled rice, popadums, some raita and mango chutney. Serves 4 people. If you buy whole spices you will need a grinder.

For the meatballs
lamb mince 800 gms (a big pack)
red onion 1, chopped finely

garlic cloves 2, chopped

red chilli 1, chopped

fresh corriander handful, chopped

large free range egg 1

cumin seeds 2tsp

corriander seeds 2tsp

fennel seeds 1tsp

cloves 2

cinnamon 1cm stick

cardamon pods 4 pods seeded

black peppercorns 5

For the sauce

tinned tomatoes 1tin

onion 1, chopped

garlic cloves 2, chopped

fresh ginger 5cm, grated

cumin 2tsp

corriander 1tsp

ground garam masala 3tsp

tumeric 1tsp

cayenne pepper 1/2tsp

Ok, make the balls first and put in the fridge to firm up. Grid up the spices, or use ready ground, but fresh ground spices are much better in these balls. Mix the spice mix with the lamb mince, onions, chilli, garlic and finally the egg till its all mixed up nice. Add a small teaspoon of salt too. Squish this mixture up into balls about the size of golf balls, or bigger if you like. Put on an oiled plate or tray, cover and bob in the fridge while you make the sauce.

The sauce is a basic curry sauce, feel free to mess with the spices however you like. So, the usual curry sauce method: Fry the onions till soft, next add garlic and ginger, fry for one minute, then add spices, fry for another minute. Next add your tin of tomatoes, fill the tin with water and chuck this in, and a big pinch of salt. Simmer for 15 mins, lid off, till the raw flavour has gone and the sauce has thickened. You can use a chilli instead of cayenne pepper if you prefer.

To assemble this dish I put the sauce in a big wide ovenproof dish that can go to the table, and put this in the oven waiting for the balls. (If you have made the sauce ahead wait for it to warm up in the oven before you start the balls). Fry the balls in batches in some sunflower oil in a non stick frying pan, fry them quickly on a high heat so they go dark and caramelised on the outside. When each batch of balls is done pop them in the sauce in the oven to finish cooking through. I like to use a wide dish so that half the ball pops out the sauce. So, cook all the balls, get them all sat in the sauce in the oven (at about 160) and do your rice. While your rice is cooking it gives the balls time to cook through in the oven, and they wont dry out cos they are half in the sauce.

Serve up the rice in one big dish and bring the balls and sauce to the table straight from the oven, sprinkle with some fresh corriander to make pretty if you like.

If you fancy it, you can add ground almonds or crushed pistashios to the balls for a more lamb kofta type meatball. Sometimes I add a couple of tablespoons of ground almonds to the sauce.