Pork and Veal Thai Meatballs with Yoghurt sauce

Getting in the mood with a touch of Thai, again. I had some of the yoghurt sauce in the fridge  from my vegetable pasties and it was also delicious with the meatballs.
Fresh ingredients and beautiful aromas of freshly chopped coriander and mint, have you salivating for these before you have cooked them.
They can be adapted and made a lot smaller for finger food for a party.
Serve them with a really fabulous salad and when the weather gets a bit warmer a mango salsa would be beautiful with them too.


1kilo pork and veal mince
1/2 red capsicum
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic *
2 teaspoons minced ginger *
3 tablespoons chopped coriander
3 tablespoons chopped mint
1 stalk lemongrass finely chopped
2 tablespoons Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce or to taste
1 egg beaten
S&P
Canola or peanut oil

* I used for this recipe a minced  bottled garlic and ginger bought from an Asian supermarket

 Finely chop onion, capsicum, lemongrass and whole garlic and ginger if not using minced.
Add these along with the chopped mint and coriander to the pork and veal mince. Mix thoroughly and add Sweet Chilli Sauce  and the beaten egg to bind the mixture. At this point you can add salt and pepper.

Shape the mixture into balls  about the size of golf balls. If making them this size a kilo will make about 20 meatballs.
Heat the oil in a shallow fry pan and add the meatballs. Don't put them all in at once and don't overcrowd the pan. Turn them to make sure each side is evenly cooked.
Drain on paper towel and serve when ready with the yoghurt sauce, or alternatively serve with extra Sweet Chilli sauce
They can be made earlier and reheated. They also freeze well.

Moroccan Meatballs

The humble meatball, loved all over the world, is also known in every language by a different name . The terms we are most  familiar with Kofta, Kefta, Albondigas are just as delicious made from beef, chicken, pork or lamb and also fish. The variation of spices and additives depend entirely on the cuisine of that country and how they serve their meals. The common thread is only that the main ingredient is minced meat or fish. They are easy, delicious, freeze well and always better the next day.
This little dish would probably be served as a tagine and part of a banquet, if we were in Morocco.
Serve with rice, couscous yoghurt and harissa.  Harissa, is a spicy chilli based condiment used all through Morocco and Tunisia. It is readily available these days in a tube, or can, and keeps very well for a long time. You can make your own and keep in the fridge with a cover of oil on top!
If you happen to be visiting New York go and visit one of the three Meatball Shops !


1 kilo lamb mince
1 finely chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
1/2 tablespoon cumin 
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon of harissa or  minced chilli ( if you are serving children or not sure of peoples tolerance to chilli you may leave it out and serve with the harissa on the side... experiment with the taste
1/2 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

Mix all of the above in a large bowl and set aside, for at least an hour for the flavours to develop.

Tomato Sauce


2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 bottle of sugacasa or tomato puree
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped coriander
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon harissa or garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin


 Place all of the sauce ingredients in a  large saucepan or casserole pot and simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent catching on the bottom.

Shape the meat mixture into oval shaped balls, and place on a baking sheet covered tray in the oven for 10 minutes, on 175C. This will set the meatballs and release some of the fat from the lamb.Remove from oven and place in the hot tomato sauce and simmer gently for a further 15 minutes.
Serve with the rice or couscous, dollop some yoghurt on top, a teaspoon of harissa and garnish with chopped coriander .