Spaghetti and Meatballs

Servings : Serves 4-5

This is a definitely one of my favourite comfort foods. 

Ingredients for Meatballs

  • 500 gm beef mince
  • 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
  • 1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
  • pinch of chilli powder or some red chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp lemon juice (too much lemon will make the meatballs hard)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp yoghurt

Other Ingredients

  • 6-8 fresh tomatoes (blended with 1 green chilli and some coriander stems)
  • 3 onions finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste/puree
  • 1 tbsp sugar (to cut down the acidity of tomatoes)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp ginger paste
  • 4 tbsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp cumin/coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 500 gm spaghetti

Instructions

Mix the meatball ingredients together properly, then cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

In the meantime, heat the oil, sauté the onions until nice and golden, add the ginger & garlic paste, followed by the tomato paste. Stir and add the spices, then add the blended tomatoes, sugar & salt. Cook the sauce until it thickens, adding a bit of water when it gets too thick. Once ready, taste and adjust salt.

Start shaping the meatballs. Make sure you DO NOT OVER-SHAPE THEM. Do not keep pressing/squeezing them to make the perfect ball as it will toughen them. Keep your hand light and shape gently, placing on a plate. You can refrigerate the shaped meatballs for about 10 minutes. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then start popping the meatballs one by one into the simmering sauce. Do not stir immediately, give them 2 minutes then using a small spoon turn each meatball over one by one and cook them for another 3 minutes so the other side may get done. I normally do this in batches, removing the cooked meatballs from the sauce onto a plate when I’m about to do the next batch so the first batch doesn’t get over-cooked…keep going until all are done. Then gently drop all the cooked meatballs back into the sauce and give them a good gentle simmer for about 10-15 mins. Try to mix them by swirling the cooking vessel instead of stirring with a spoon to avoid breaking the meatballs. Adjust salt/chilli.

In the meantime boil spaghetti as per packet directions. Then serve the meatballs and sauce on to your spaghetti and enjoy!

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