In the last 3 months this weekend has been historical of sorts. I have been cooking full blow, hoping to feed the hungry mouths as well as storing some for the coming week's dinner.
Usually I like to plan our menu such that we alternate between rice, pasta, noodles and capati through the week. However right now, given certain circumstances that the picky eater Jeev has a certain preference over rice (how typical?!), I have tweaked our menu to have rice more often. And to ensure the non egg/meat/chicken/fish eating kid gets his nutrition, I have several tricks up my sleeves.
From my observations, Jeev eats rice with gravy or soup pretty well. As such, I have devised several tactics in making him eat his vegetables and other proteins without realising it. And let me tell you a secret, it also works well in making the big Baby (the hubby) to eat his vegetables too.
First thing, I need to cook something with gravy or a thicker version of soup. Stews and curries work just great. What I do is I add chicken stock, ghee/butter/virgin coconut oil, boiled lentils and vegetables chopped small into the gravies that I make. And a little extra effort is making pilaf or briyani-inspired rice with sautees of spices, vegetables and cook in chicken stock. Not to forget those rich oil/butter/ghee. I call it glorified rice.
The weekend's menu was different varieties of curries. On Saturday I made this creamy salmon curry with spinach. What better way to feed him the goodness of fish oil and spinach? The recipe is same as my creamy butter prawn with spinach, except that I replaced the prawns with salmon. I marinated the salmon in turmeric and salt before pan frying it.
Next, on Sunday I wanted to make minced meat curry, instead I opted to turn it into meatball curry, known as kofta curry. As usual, I had to load this curry with some finely chopped veggie goodies, so it had to be green pepper, leek and celery.
There is so much of texture in the gravy due to the chopped veggies. This recipe is not spicy and perfect for kids who love their curries over rice or capati.
There is so much of texture in the gravy due to the chopped veggies. This recipe is not spicy and perfect for kids who love their curries over rice or capati.
The meatball recipe is almost the same as what I shared previously here.
You need:
Minced chicken/pork (I used a mixture of both)
4tbsp tomato puree
2 cloves garlic, chopped
green pepper & celery, chopped, and divided into two portions
1 egg
coriander leaves, chopped
leek, chopped
onion, diced
tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp onion+garlic+ginger paste
2tbsp cumin powder
1tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1tbsp curry powder
1/4 cup evaporated milk/yogurt
some garam masala
star anise/cinnamon stick
bay leaves
some water
oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Method:
1) For the meatballs, mix the minced meat, 2tbsp tomato puree, garlic, one portion of the green pepper and celery and egg. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
2) Form balls with wet hands and pan fry till cooked. I used a frying pan which allowed me to cover for 3-5mins while cooking. Set aside.
3) Sautee the star anise, cinnamon stick onion, and leek. Once it browns, add the onion+garlic+ginger paste. Sautee till fragrant.
4) Add the tomatoes, green pepper and celery and sautee for 5 mins before adding cumin, coriander, curry and turmeric powder. Add your desired amount of water, some bay leaves and allow the spices to come to a simmer for 10 to 15mins.
5) Add 2 tbsp of tomato puree and let it simmer 5 mins before adding the milk or yogurt.
6) Let it simmer for 5 mins before adding in the cooked meatballs. Sprinkle some garam masala over the curry.
7) Once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves before serving.
While preparing the meatballs, I had enough to make patties for our burger dinner. Killing two birds with a stone always helps in times of need! I usually add oats to the meatballs to soak up the moisture, but I kinda of omitted it here, and loved the moist final result!
This curry is not just perfect with rice or capati, you could also turn leftover rice and curry into baked curry rice with meatballs!
Happy trying!
