A meatball curry with Sri Lankan flavours. Here’s a simple yet tasty curry made with a frozen meatball recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to make.
This meatball curry recipe will save you time and energy when you need a quick lunch or dinner sorted out.
Cooking a chicken meatball curry is easy.
Yes, it is.
To cook this curried meatball dish, all we do is marinate the meatballs in some Sri Lankan spices, temper them with some aromatic ginger, garlic and onion and then simmer the chicken meatballs in coconut milk.
If you have a pack of frozen chicken meatball pack in your freezer, give this recipe a try.
What to serve with meatball curry recipe.
- Rice dishes to serve with meatball curry.
When I serve it with rice, I pair it with a spicy bean and potato curry, parsley salad or Gotu kola salad, pumpkin curry or a dhal curry for a simple meal.
- More vegetarian dishes to serve with meatball curry and rice.
- Serve as a light meal with coconut roti, no yeast naan or some homemade paratha(godamba) roti.
- Mix the chicken meatball curry with some quick ramen noodles or regular noodles to make a quick dinner.
- If you’ve got some hot dog buns, make some curry meatballs subs for dinner.
- For a simpler meal serve with sandwich bread and dhal curry.
Save the recipes for Pinterest
Utensils and appliances needed
- Chopping board and knife.
- Medium-sized pan to cook the beef meatball curry.
More meatball recipes
homemade spicy beef meatballs.
Sri Lankan beef meatball curry.
Beef Meatballs in Pepper Onion Sauce.
RECIPE DIFFICULTY-LITTLE CARE NEEDED
Ingredients to cook chicken meatball curry.
The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.
500g of frozen chicken meatballs
1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon of cumin powder(make your own cumin powder)
2 tablespoons of coriander powder(to substitute cumin and coriander, use 2 tablespoons of good Sri Lankan curry powder, if you want to experiment and have a stronger taste 1-2 tablespoons of Jaffna curry powder)
2 teaspoons of red chilli powder(increase or reduce as per your need)
Salt to season
Tempering ingredients
5 tablespoons of oil
Sprig of curry leaves(substitute with 1 bay leaf)
3 cloves of garlic sliced fine
1 large onion sliced
2 medium-sized tomatoes chopped(substitute with 1 tbsp tomato paste or 1 tbsp tomato sauce)
2 green chillies split lengthwise(remove for a lesser spicier curry)
1 cup of coconut milk( for thin gravy dilute the thick milk with water, for thick gravy add coconut milk as directed)
How to make chicken meatball curry
How to marinate the chicken meatballs.
To defrost the frozen pack of chicken meatballs, place them in a bowl of water for 20 minutes.
Once the meatballs are defrosted, remove them from the pack and place them in a bowl.
Add ginger-garlic paste(1 tbsp), cumin powder(1 tbsp), coriander powder(1 tbsp).
To substitute cumin and coriander, use 2 tablespoons of good Sri Lankan curry powder.
If you want to experiment and have a stronger taste 1-2 tablespoons of Jaffna curry powder but reduce the chilli powder by 1 tsp).
red chilli powder(2 tsp, increase or reduce as per your need), salt to season(1/2 to 1 tsp).
Combine all the spices with the chicken meatballs and set aside for 10-15 minutes to marinate.
Place pan over low-medium heat, add in the oil(5 tbsp), curry leaves(a sprig), sliced garlic(3 cloves), onion slice(1 large), 2 medium-sized tomatoes chopped(substitute with 1 tbsp tomato paste or 1 tbsp tomato sauce), 2 green chillies split lengthwise(remove for a less spicy dish).
Cook until the onions turn soft, and crush the tomatoes as you cook the tempering ingredients.
7-10 minutes over low-medium heat.
Add the chicken meatballs to the tempering ingredients.
Reduce heat to low and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Using coconut milk to make the chicken meatball curry.
Depending on how thick or thin the gravy you want add thick or thin coconut milk as instructed below.
Add 1 cup of coconut milk for a thick gravy, and for thin gravy dilute thick coconut milk(1/2 cup) with water(1/2 a cup to 1 cup).
Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, and taste. season with salt.
Cook until the gravy thickens and reaches the consistency you prefer.
Serve with any of the meal ideas provided above.
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Sri Lankan chicken meatball curry
A chicken meatball recipe made with a store-bought pack of chicken meatballs.
This Chicken meatball curry recipe will save you time and energy when you need a quick lunch or dinner sorted out.
Ingredients
- 500g of frozen chicken meatball
- 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon of cumin powder(make your own cumin powder)
- 2 tablespoons of coriander powder(to substitute cumin and coriander, use 2 tablespoons of good Sri Lankan curry powder, if you want to experiment and have a stronger taste 1-2 tablespoon of Jaffna curry powder)
- 2 teaspoon of red chilli powder(increase or reduce as per your need)
- Salt to season
- Tempering ingredients
- 5 tablespoons of oil
- Sprig of curry leaves(substitute with 1 bay leaf)
- 3 cloves of garlic sliced fine
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes chopped(substitute with 1 tbsp tomato paste or 1 tbsp tomato sauce)
- 2 green chillies split lengthwise(remove for a lesser spicier curry)
- 1 cup of coconut milk( for thin gravy dilute the thick milk with water, for a thick gravy add coconut milk as directed)
Instructions
- To defrost the frozen pack of chicken meatballs, place them in a bowl of water for 20 minutes.
How to marinate the chicken meatballs.
- Once the meatballs are defrosted, remove them from the pack and place them in a bowl.
- Add ginger-garlic paste(1 tbsp), cumin powder(1 tbsp), coriander powder(1 tbsp).
- To substitute cumin and coriander, use 2 tablespoons of good Sri Lankan curry powder.
- If you want to experiment and have a stronger taste 1-2 tablespoons of Jaffna curry powder but reduce the chilli powder by 1 tsp).
- red chilli powder(2 tsp, increase or reduce as per your need), salt to season(1/2 to 1 tsp).
- Combine all the spices with the chicken meatballs and set aside for 10-15 minutes to marinate.
- Place pan over low-medium heat, add in the oil(5 tbsp), curry leaves(a sprig), sliced garlic(3 cloves), onion slice(1 large), 2 medium-sized tomatoes chopped(substitute with 1 tbsp tomato paste or 1 tbsp tomato sauce), 2 green chillies split lengthwise(remove for a less spicy dish).
- Cook until the onions turn soft, crush the tomatoes as you cook the tempering ingredients.
- 7-10 minutes over low-medium heat.
- Add the chicken meatballs to the tempering ingredients.
- Reduce heat to low and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Using coconut milk to make the chicken meatball curry.
- Depending on how thick or thin gravy you want, add thick or thin coconut milk as instructed below.
- Add 1 cup of coconut milk for a thick gravy, for thin gravy dilute thick coconut milk(1/2 cup) with water(1/2 a cup to 1 cup).
- Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, taste season with salt.
- Cook until the gravy thickens and reaches the consistency you prefer.
- Serve with any of the meal ideas provided above.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 508Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 661mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 23g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.
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