My sister was recently visiting from the US and as anyone with international guests knows, at some point you will land up cooking for an army of people! My family, plus the in-laws, meant I was cooking for 12 people one night including 5 adult men who eat like it's there last meal... you know who you are!!
When you have a bunch of mouths to feed, you have to cook one big pot of something that everyone will enjoy, but I like to add a heap of condiments so everyone can alter their bowl to their preference. I think it makes the meal a bit more fun, especially for the little kiddies!
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| Too many choices, Mama! |
So here's my award winning Yellow Thai Chicken Meatball Curry as enjoyed by little people, 3 yrs old, all the way to Great Grand people - 94 yrs old and still kicking! (By award winning, I mean every bowl was practically licked clean, that's the biggest compliment for any cook in my book!)
Ingredients
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| mmmm, saucy! |
500gr chicken mince
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 small onion, finely diced
Handful of dry breadcrumbs (I use cornflake crumbs)
Small handful of chopped coriander or parsley
Salt and pepper
Jar of Yellow Curry Paste (I use Valcom brand)
400ml can of coconut milk or cream, whichever you prefer
100-200ml of chicken stock, optional
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
Serve with rice
Condiments - this is optional but it makes this meal so much fun! Put everything in little bowls and let everyone help themselves to their favorites:
grated carrots, beansprouts, corn, finely sliced spring onions, coriander leaves, sliced chillies, roasted cashews, finely sliced snowpeas, lime wedges.
How to...
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
- Cook your rice according to the packet instructions.
- Mix the chicken mince with the beaten egg, onion, crumbs, herbs and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Heat a little oil in a frypan over medium heat.
- Roll a tablespoon of the mince mixture in your hands to make a meatball.
- Gently drop the meatballs into the hot pan and fry off so the balls are golden brown all over. Don't worry about the meatballs being raw in the middle, we'll finish the cooking in the oven.
- Scoop the golden meatballs into an ovenproof dish. Once they are all golden, pop them in the oven to finish cooking for 10 minutes. (Break one open to check they are cooked)
- While the meatballs are cooking, get your condiments ready and take to the table.
- Heat the frypan again on a medium low heat and fry off 4-5 tbsps of the curry paste until fragrant. You have to cook the paste as the ingredients are raw. And don't overheat the pan or the paste will spit.
- Once fragrant, add the coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar. Add as much stock as you like to make more sauce. This is optional but I add the stock as it cuts through the heaviness off the coconut - good tip for anyone watching their weight too.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and you're done!
This recipe feeds four, but you can easily make more or
less depending on your crowd. This also freezes really well if you want
to make in advance.
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| Mama's bowl, yum yum! |
