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 chicken meatball curry is easy.

To cook this curried meatball dish, we only need to 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 frozen chicken meatball pack in your freezer, try this recipe.

What to serve with a meatball curry.

• Rice dishes to serve with meatball curry.
  • how to cook rice on the stove.
  • coconut rice.
  • Sri Lankan Yellow Rice(turmeric rice)
  • Easy lemon rice recipe.
  • vegetable fried rice(spicy).

• When I serve rice, I pair the meatball curry with a spicy bean and potato curry.
  parsley salad or Gotukola salad, and pumpkin curry or a dhal curry for a simple meal.

• More vegetarian dishes to serve with meatball curry and rice.
  • Sri Lankan-mildly spiced Pineapple curry. or a spicy pineapple curry | Sri Lankan, Sinhalese style.
  • vegan green beans and coconut stir-fry.
  • Carrot curry(Sri Lankan, vegan, vegetarian).
• 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.

More meatball recipes.

Easy Sweet and sour meatballs.
homemade spicy beef meatballs.
Sri Lankan beef meatball curry.
Beef Meatballs in Pepper Onion Sauce.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-LITTLE CARE NEEDED

Utensils and appliances needed

• Chopping board and knife.
• Medium-sized pan to cook the beef meatball curry.

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 cook chicken meatball curry.

Marinating meatball curry.

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, cumin powder, and coriander powder.
To substitute cumin and coriander, use a good Sri Lankan curry powder.
If you want to experiment and have a stronger taste use Jaffna curry powder but reduce the chilli powder.
Add red chilli powder(increase or reduce as per your need).
Add salt to season.

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, curry leaves(a sprig), sliced garlic, onion slice, tomatoes chopped(substitute with 1 tbsp tomato paste or 1 tbsp tomato sauce), 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.
Cook until the onions turn soft, and crush the tomatoes as you cook the tempering ingredients for 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 cook 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.

JOIN ME ON ISLANDSMILE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Sri Lankan chicken meatball curry

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

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.

Print

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

1. To defrost the frozen pack of chicken meatballs, place them in a bowl of water for 20 minutes.

How to marinate the chicken meatballs.

1. Once the meatballs are defrosted, remove them from the pack and place them in a bowl.
2. Add ginger-garlic paste(1 tbsp), cumin powder(1 tbsp), coriander powder(1 tbsp).
3. To substitute cumin and coriander, use 2 tablespoons of good Sri Lankan curry powder.
4. 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).
5. red chilli powder(2 tsp, increase or reduce as per your need), salt to season(1/2 to 1 tsp).
6. Combine all the spices with the chicken meatballs and set aside for 10-15 minutes to marinate.
7. 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).
8. Cook until the onions turn soft, crush the tomatoes as you cook the tempering ingredients.
9. 7-10 minutes over low-medium heat.
10. Add the chicken meatballs to the tempering ingredients.
11. Reduce heat to low and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Using coconut milk to make the chicken meatball curry.

1. Depending on how thick or thin gravy you want, add thick or thin coconut milk as instructed below.
2. 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).
3. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, taste season with salt.
4. Cook until the gravy thickens and reaches the consistency you prefer.
5. Serve with any of the meal ideas provided above.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Mueller HyperGrind Precision Electric Spice/Coffee Grinder Mill with Large Grinding Capacity and HD Motor also for Spices, Herbs, Nuts, Grains, White
• 
  Secura 60-Minute Visual Timer, Classroom Countdown Clock, Silent Timer for Kids and Adults, Time Management Tool for Teaching (Black)
• 
  Kitchen Shears, iBayam Kitchen Scissors Heavy Duty Meat Scissors Poultry Shears, Dishwasher Safe Food Cooking Scissors All Purpose Stainless Steel Utility Scissors, 2-Pack (Black Red, Black Gray)
• 
  OXO Good Grips Swivel Peeler
• 
  OXO Good Grips Vegetable Brush
• 
  OXO Good Grips Soft- Handled Garlic Press
• 
  Bamboo Cutting Board Set with Juice Groove (3 Pieces) - Wood Cutting Boards for Kitchen, Wood Cutting Board Set, Kitchen Chopping Board for Meat (Butcher Block) Cheese and Vegetables
• 
  OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Wooden Spoon Set
• 
  Spice Container - Masala Dabba - 7 Compartments, masala box,steel masala dabba,Spice container box,stainless steel spice box indian masala dabba with 7 spice containers with size 8 X 8 inches (1)
• 
  Fullstar 9-in-1 Deluxe Vegetable Chopper Kitchen Gifts | Onion Chopper & Dicer | Peeler, Spiralizer, Zoodle Maker, Lemon Squeezer, Egg Slicer & Seperator- Ultimate Kitchen Gadget
• 
  Chef Knife PAUDIN N1 8 inch Kitchen Knife, German High Carbon Stainless Steel Sharp Knife, Professional Meat Knife with Ergonomic Handle and Gift Box for Family & Restaurant
• 
  McCormick Curry Powder, 1 lb
• 
  Sri Lankan Jaffna Curry Powder 500g (1.1lb)
• 
  1-Pound Restaurant Ground Cumin Seed Powder Spice
• 
  Simply Organic - Coriander - 2.29 oz.
• 
  Aroy-d Coconut Milk 100% Original Net 8.5 Oz.(pack of 12)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount 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.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Each recipe on this blog has been written with great care and love to the best of my ability with you in mind.
It’s free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.
All I ask is that you do not save it on any apps, recipe boxes or online groups which will affect me as a food blogger and the growth of this blog. 
I would appreciate it if you only share the link rather than the full recipe.