Description
These Green Curry Meatballs blend tender ground meat with fragrant green curry paste and aromatic spices, simmered to perfection in a creamy coconut milk sauce. Served over jasmine rice, this dish offers a delicious fusion of Thai-inspired flavors with a comforting home-cooked appeal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (or panko breadcrumbs)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey, chicken, pork, or beef
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons green curry paste
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce (optional)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon green curry paste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (15 ounce) cans canned unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
To Serve
- 4–5 cups cooked jasmine rice, brown rice, white rice, or basmati rice
Instructions
- Prepare the Meatball Mixture: In a large mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, egg, and milk. Mix well and let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to allow the oats to soften. Add the ground meat of your choice, grated ginger, green curry paste, fish sauce (if using), granulated sugar, salt, finely minced garlic, and diced onion. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Form Meatballs: Using your hands or a scoop, shape the mixture into balls slightly smaller than golf-ball size. Ensure they are uniform for even cooking.
- Brown the Meatballs: Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, arrange one layer of meatballs in the pan, making sure to leave space between each. You may need to cook in batches depending on skillet size. Brown the meatballs on all sides by turning them occasionally. They don’t need to be fully cooked at this stage, just golden brown. Remove browned meatballs and set aside on a plate. Drain excess grease from the skillet if necessary.
- Make the Green Curry Sauce: In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon green curry paste and minced garlic. Sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in one can of coconut milk, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan to incorporate their flavor. In a separate bowl, stir cornstarch into the second can of coconut milk until fully dissolved, then add this mixture to the skillet. Stir in light brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, chopped cilantro, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Simmer with Meatballs: Return the browned meatballs to the skillet. Gently simmer them in the green curry sauce for about 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Serve: Spoon the green curry meatballs and sauce over hot cooked jasmine rice or your preferred rice variety. Garnish with extra cilantro if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can substitute ground turkey with chicken, pork, or beef depending on preference.
- For gluten-free option, ensure to use gluten-free oats or breadcrumbs.
- Adjust the amount of green curry paste based on your spice tolerance.
- Fish sauce is optional but adds authentic umami flavor.
- Using fresh lime juice brightens the sauce, but bottled juice can be used in a pinch.
- Leftover meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated gently in the sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai
Keywords: Green Curry Meatballs, Thai Meatballs, Coconut Curry Meatballs, Ground Turkey Curry, Thai Green Curry Recipe
