By Florence Fabricant
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(66)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Featured in: A Spicy Meatball for a Spicy Bottle
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1¼cups basmati rice
- 2tablespoons finely minced ginger
- 1teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ to 1teaspoon crushed chile flakes, to taste
- 4tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
- 1medium onion, finely chopped
- 1medium eggplant, about 1 pound, quartered lengthwise, cut in ½-inch slices
- 1pound ground lamb or beef
- 1large egg, lightly beaten
- 2tablespoon minced fresh mint
- Salt
- 1poblano chile, seeded and slivered
- 2teaspoons garam masala
- 2medium tomatoes, chopped
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
735 calories; 43 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 977 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Rinse the rice twice, drain, then place in a saucepan and mix in half the ginger. Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover and cook 15 minutes. Set aside, covered. Heat a large sauté pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Cook on medium-high until seeds start to dance and smell fragrant. Turn off heat. Remove to a mortar. Add chile flakes and pulverize.
Step
2
Add 1 tablespoon of the ghee or oil to the pan. Add onion and sauté on low until very lightly browned. Remove. Add remaining ghee or oil and sauté eggplant on medium until lightly browned. Remove.
Step
3
Mix ground meat with half the onions, half the ground spices, 6 tablespoons of the rice, the egg, half the mint and salt to taste. Form into 1-inch meatballs. Sauté meatballs in pan on medium until lightly browned. Don’t worry if a few of them break up. Remove. Add poblano, remaining ground spice mixture, garam masala and remaining ginger to pan. Sauté on medium until poblano wilts.
Step
4
Add tomatoes, simmer on low 5 minutes, scrape bottom of pan, add 1 cup water, then return eggplant, remaining onion and meatballs to pan. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and chile if needed. Reheat rice on low. Dust curry with remaining mint and serve with rice.
Ratings
66
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Cooking Notes
Jacques
Full of fragrant spices, but without garlic, pepper and salt (in the rice). In my opinion it is more work than warranted for what you end up with. Okay, I gave it 3/5 stars.
Es
What to do with a quarter pound ground beef and a quarter pound ground venison? It was delicious. I made enough spice mix, onions, etc., for the full recipe and served it with the rice. The 1/2 combined made about 15 good-sized meatballs so if you are working with a full pound I recommend you do it in batches. The meatballs were very tasty. I didn't have a poblano chile but I did not half a jalapeno and it started to pour as I went to pick the mint, so no mint. A nice dinner for 2.
Cathy
Loved the flavors but my meatballs were way too wet and nearly all fell apart. I knew better but didn’t add more rice or breadcrumbs. In any case, very nice ground beef and eggplant curry!
Sarah Walsworth
Children dig stuffed peppers, so I adapted the recipe to go into halved poblanos then into the oven. Used 1.5 lbs meat: .5 lb. lamb, 1 lb beef 'cause that's what I had; used all the rice into the mix, so needed to up the meat %. Saving chopped tomatoes and half chopped mint leaves for the end of the baking. Will cover tomatoes with some grated cheddar before the sprinkle of mint. We shall see...
Sarah Walsworth
1 more thing: I may use halloumi cheese instead of cheddar. Cheese on top obvious add due to kiddos' palettes but methinks halloumi (in lieu off paneer, which I do not have right now) might do it, all the while remaining closer to the original blueprint of the recipe.
Sarah Walsworth
Oh - added another egg to keep it all...kosher, or...at least, properly married.
Cathy
Loved the flavors but my meatballs were way too wet and nearly all fell apart. I knew better but didn’t add more rice or breadcrumbs. In any case, very nice ground beef and eggplant curry!
Ogi the Yogi
Do you peel the eggplant?
I am also not clear on how to cut up the eggplant, any suggestions will be appreciated.
Es
What to do with a quarter pound ground beef and a quarter pound ground venison? It was delicious. I made enough spice mix, onions, etc., for the full recipe and served it with the rice. The 1/2 combined made about 15 good-sized meatballs so if you are working with a full pound I recommend you do it in batches. The meatballs were very tasty. I didn't have a poblano chile but I did not half a jalapeno and it started to pour as I went to pick the mint, so no mint. A nice dinner for 2.
Jacques
Full of fragrant spices, but without garlic, pepper and salt (in the rice). In my opinion it is more work than warranted for what you end up with. Okay, I gave it 3/5 stars.
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