South Indian Meatball Curry (Kodaikanal Meatball Curry)

South Indian Meatball Curry

AKA Mrs. Ramnath’s Kodaikanal Meatball Curry

When I was young, my yearly vacations back home are full of fond memories. My brother and sister were in boarding school in Kodaikanal and Yerkaud. When my parents and I  would travel home, part of our vacation consisted of visiting my siblings at their boarding schools.

We would stay in Kodai for a few days and it was always a restful, relaxing part of our holiday. I always enjoyed visiting Ikka and Itha as I only got to see them twice every year. Once, when we went to India and then again when they spent their 2-month summer vacation, in Saudi with us.

On one of our visits to Kodai, we visited one of the teachers, Mrs. Ramnath who made this delicious Meatball curry, which I would remember fondly quite often, from then till now!

Over the years, I have tried to recreate that recipe from my memory so many times, but I didn’t get that flavor that has stayed with me… till now!

I kept changing the spice combination, trying with and without coconut. Today, if I had a similar dish, it would be much easier to reproduce the flavor but I was in primary school at the time! I could only tell if the dish was similar to the one I had all those years ago, once I experimented and produced the dish.  So several mediocre curries later, I finally got the flavor profile, I was after, and then I finally made it once according to the recipe I had laid out. This time, I had done it! I was very happy. The texture and flavor matched. A yummy South Indian Meatball Curry, that my family loved as well!

Scroll down for the Complete Recipe.

South Indian Meatball Curry

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Watch the Video or click to read Complete Recipe – Below. 

How to make South Indian Meatball Curry – Recipe at a glance:

• Prepare meatball mixture and place in the freezer for a while.
• Shallow-fry the meatballs lightly and set aside.
• Prepare the curry and simmer adding the partially cooked meatballs and cooking till done.
• Add coconut cream, final seasoning, tempering, and garnish.

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Ingredients

For the Meatballs.

• 600 gms freshly minced beef (you can use lamb/mutton if you prefer)
• 2 (medium-sized) Red Onions, finely chopped
• 1 sprig of fresh Curry Leaves, chopped
• 3 Tbsp fresh Coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Oil for shallow frying, as needed (1/4-1/2 cup)

To be ground to a Coarse paste:

• 3 Tbsp puffed gram (roasted split chickpeas) – see notes
• 4 large cloves Garlic
• 2-inch piece Ginger
• 3-4 small Green chilies
• 1 tsp Fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp mild Chilli powder

For the Curry:

• 2-3 Tbsp Oil (plus 2 tsp for tempering)
• Pinch of Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
• 1 Tbsp Curry leaves
• 1 large Red Onion, chopped
• 2 large ripe Tomatoes, chopped
• 6 large cloves Garlic, chopped (divided)
• 1 lime-sized ball of Tamarind pulp (Asam Jawa)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 200 ml carton Kara™ Coconut Cream ( you might not require the entire amount 
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper powder
• Salt, to taste (1/2 tsp)
• 2 Tbsp fresh Coriander leaves, chopped

Same Recipe Video is available on the Recipe page⇑.

On Laptop, is recommended that you open the recipe page and keep this page going if you like to WATCH / LISTEN to the video alongside the written instructions.

Key Ingredients: Minced meat, Onion, Garlic, Ginger,  Green chillies, Tomato, Tamarind, Coconut Cream, Curry leaves, Coriander, Spices, Egg, Oil, Salt.

EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried – South Indian Meatball Curry