This beautiful recipe is inspired by a dish I had recently at a local restaurant. I loved the spices, particularly the addition of the sumac, fennel seeds and mint. Prep time is usually around 15 minutes and you ideally want to cook the curry for 45 minutes to an hour.
Ingredients:
FOR THE MEATBALLS
- 1 lb ground elk
- 1 diced yellow onion
- 1-2 Tbsp. fresh mint, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Avocado or Coconut oil (or substitute your favourite oil)
FOR THE CURRY
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 cup plain full-fat yoghurt
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. freshly chopped or minced ginger
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 4 cups of cold water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp. garam masala
- 2 Tbso. paprika (preferably NOT smoked)
- 1 Tbs ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp. ground fennel seed
- 1/2 tsp hot cayenne powder
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp. GF cornflour, or tapioca starch, or arrowroot powder.
- 1/2 tsp sumac (optional)
Method:
- Mix meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl until mixed well. Form the meatballs by hand to your desired size. I usually do 2 inch meatballs.
- In a large sauce pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom. Brown meatballs each side.
- While meatballs are cooking, add diced onions. Add next four ingredients, and 1 cup of the water and the salt.
- When the meatballs are browned, push to the side of the pan and add the spices in the middle and stir. If the spices are dry, add more oil. After heating for about a minute while stirring constantly, add the remaining water, bay leaves and sumac.
- Stir your corn starch or tapioca flour in a small bowl with a little cold water until well mixed without clumps. Add this to the pot. Stir gently and gently simmer over med-low heat for 1 hour uncovered.
- Serve over rice. Garish with some fresh cilantro. You can also add some naan bread.