This recipe came to me one night while I was driving my dog to one of his favourite parks. Honestly, I get most of my inspiration while just driving around with that little guy.
Did I ever nail this one. It was one of those moments that, while I was eating it, I had to open up my Notes app and quickly jot down everything I put into the recipe before I forgot. Now we can all benefit from that moment of self awareness!
One small note: I’m pretty sure I used two cans of coconut milk. So, feel free to use one or two, depending on how much you like coconut milk. Next time, I will definitely use two cans.
Also, feel free to use whatever ground meat you have. Below you’ll see I used beef and pork, but next time I’ll be doing lamb meatballs. Oh, I also threw in a litre of shrimp stock, because that’s what I had. It gave it some a real extra kick of flavour. But you can use whatever kind of stock you have or prefer.
OK, let’s make some meatballs!
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 25 minutesServings: 4-6
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
* 2 lbs ground beef and pork mix
* 2 eggs (1 per pound of meat)
* ½ cup panko breadcrumbs (or soaked bread in cream)
* 2 tbsp heavy cream
* 1 tbsp Madras curry powder
* 2 big pinches kosher salt
For the Sauce:
* 1 large onion, diced
* 1 big knob of ginger (about thumb-sized), diced
* 4–5 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
* 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (about half the size of the meatballs)
* 2 carrots, peeled and cut into similar chunks
* 3 tbsp Madras curry powder
* 1 L beef stock
* 1 L pork or chicken stock (or just use all beef stock)
* 2 tbsp soy sauce
* 2 tbsp fish sauce
* 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
* 2 tbsp butter
* 2 tbsp heavy cream
* 1 cup fresh parsley stems, chopped
* 1–2 cans coconut milk (added near the end)
* 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with a little cold water (for slurry)
To Serve:
* Steamed Japanese or Thai jasmine rice
* Optional greens: gai lan, rapini, or broccoli rabe
Method
Step 1: Prep Your Aromatics
* Dice one onion, peel and dice a large knob of ginger, and smash and roughly chop four or five cloves of garlic.
* Have everything ready before you start cooking. Once your meatballs are browned, you’ll want to drop these straight in.
Step 2: Prep Your Vegetables
* Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots into chunks slightly smaller than your meatballs.
* Keep them submerged in water until you’re ready to cook to prevent browning.
Step 3: Mix and Brown The Meatballs
* In a large bowl, combine the beef and pork mix with eggs, salt, breadcrumbs (or soaked bread), cream, and curry powder. Mix until just combined.
* Roll into slightly larger-than-golf-ball-sized meatballs.
* Sear them in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until browned on all sides. They don’t need to be fully cooked, just get some colour and flavour on them.
Step 4: Build the Base
* Add all the aromatics directly into the pan with the browned meatballs. Let them settle in and cook gently for a couple of minutes.
* Midway through, add 3 tbsp of curry powder to start building the sauce base. Stir everything together.
Step 5: Add the Vegetables and Stock
* Gently drop in your potatoes and carrots.
* Pour in the beef and pork/chicken stock until everything is mostly submerged.
* Add the parsley stems here—this gives the sauce its depth and brightness as it cooks.
Step 6: Flavour and Simmer
* Add soy sauce, fish sauce, Shaoxing wine, cream, and butter. Stir gently to combine.
* Let the meatballs simmer gently until cooked through and the vegetables are tender, at least 20–25 minutes. Let simmer for a few hours if you can.
Step 7: Add Coconut Milk and Thicken
* When there’s about 15 minutes left, pour in the coconut milk and stir.
* Mix a quick cornstarch slurry (2 tbsp cornstarch with a splash of water), pour it in, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
Step 8: Taste and serve
* Check the sauce—it should coat the back of a spoon.
* Adjust with more soy, fish sauce, or salt if needed.
Serve over rice with your favourite greens and fresh parsley leaves on top.
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