A Mangalorean-Style Meatball Curry

Deepika Shetty, author of Coconut Grove, shares a recipe that was created by her father for a simple, yet scrumptious meatball curry.

I call this keema curry, the name with which it is lovingly referred to at home, but I should clarify that this is closer to a meatball curry than a keema curry. Although, like in many households, the kitchen is my mother’s dominion, this curry is my father’s piece de resistance. 

It is similar to a kori gassi, a traditional Mangalorean chicken curry. Like in a kori gassi, fresh coconut is ground along with the masala ie., chilli, coriander, cumin, methi and pepper, to form the heart of the dish. However, the addition of mint, ginger, and a smattering of coriander leaves at the end, is where the gassi stops being kori gassi and become’s my father’s own. 

This is a gassi that greatly benefits from a little patience — roasting the spices slowly and carefully unlocks maximum flavour and depth. The chillies used in the dish are Karnataka’s famed byadegi chillies, which lends its signature fieriness. Unlike other meat-based curries, this one does no rely too heavily on the meatballs for its flavours. The spices and coconut hold their own very well here. 

This dish is amenable to a variety of adaptations. Feel free to use lamb or mutton mince instead of the chicken I have mentioned here. If you find byadegi too hot, replace with a mixture of two chillies — one hot, one with an intense colour, like Kashmiri. The 2 tbsp of masala that is reserved when making the gravy is mixed into the mince, and this mimics the flavour of the gravy. Using your hands to mix the mince is best, I have found. The texture of the meatball is unlike any other I have tasted. 

Recipe: Chicken keema curry

Ingredients
750 g chicken mince 
1 1/2 onion 
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves, to garnish 
Coconut milk (optional) 
2 tbsp ghee/ butter
Oil to fry
Salt

For the masala  
10-15 dried red dry chillies (byadegi or mix of Kashmiri and byadegi)
1 tbsp coriander seeds 
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp pepper corns
6 methi seeds
1/2 a coconut, grated
1/2 onion  

4-5 garlic cloves 
Marble-sized ball of tamarind 
1-inch piece fresh ginger
A handful of mint leaves 

Method
Finely chop the onion for the gravy. Roughly chop the onion meant for the masala. Peel garlic. 
Grate coconut.
Wash and chop coriander leaves. Soak the tamarind — this makes it easy to grind. 
In a kadai dry roast the first seven ingredients in the masala one by one. Add the grated coconut and 1/2 onion in to the same kadai, fry with a tsp of oil it till you get a nice toasted aroma.
Grind the roasted spices along with the toasted coconut to a smooth paste. Add in the garlic and tamarind and grind again. At this point remove 2 tbsp of masala and keep aside. To the rest, add the ginger and mint and pulse till it's nicely incorporated. It is okay if you see  bits of mint, and tiny bits of ginger.
Keep aside. Rinse the blender and keep the water too.
In a bowl place the mince, sprinkle a little salt and the reserved spice paste and nicely mix it in with your hands. Shape into small balls. I get around 40-42 meatballs.
In a frying pan heat a little oil. 
Fry the chicken meatballs giving each meatball some space. 
Brown on all sides. It does not need to cook through. Repeat with all. Remove and place on a plate. Reserve any juices that collect. 
Heat a cooking pot, add ghee and once it is hot enough add in the finely chopped onion, sprinkle some salt and fry till it is translucent. Pour in the ground masala and the water, salt and cook till the spices don’t smell raw anymore. Add a cup of water or coconut milk if you prefer it to be more creamy or to balance out the heat level. But ensure its not a very runny sauce. Drop in the meatballs along with any juices it may have collected and simmer till its cooked through. Check the seasoning.
Throw in the coriander leaves. I like to mix in the coriander at the very end of the cooking where it retains its bright colour for a while.

Serve with warm rotis, bread or flavoured rice. 
Alternatively if you don’t want to grind coconut with the masala use thick coconut milk. and just do everything else accordingly. 

Deepika Shetty is the author of the cookbook Coconut Grove. She is a certified chef and lives in Dubai.

Images by Deepika Shetty

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