Pork Meatballs in Coconut Harissa Sauce

Slofoodgroup Team March 16, 2022

Garam Masala Meatballs with Harissa

Meatballs make for a hearty and easy weeknight meal recipe, perfect for a chilly night or an make-ahead dish for entertaining. Instead of topping them with creamy gravy or marinara, spice things up a bit with a fragrant coconut harissa sauce. The technique is similar to meatballs in marinara sauce, only that the sauce will be simply made of harissa paste and coconut milk. 

The meatballs will be first cooked in a frying pan, then finished cooking in the sauce. Alternatively, they can be baked in the oven at 360°F/180°C, fan on for 20 minutes. To add a boost of flavor to the meatballs, we added garam masala to them. We strongly encourage you to make garam masala at home as it is much more flavorful than store-bought. Although the recipe asks for harissa paste, the dish is not spicy. The fat in the coconut milk cuts into the spiciness of harissa paste even more, so feel free to adjust and play around with the quantities to make it to your liking. 

Meatballs with Garam Masala, Coconut, and Harissa 

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 shallot or a small onion, finely minced
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp garam masala*
• salt
• pepper
• oil for frying

For the sauce:

• 1 shallot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup harissa paste
• 1 can coconut milk
• salt and pepper to taste

For the garam masala spice mix:

• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• pinch of freshly grated black pepper
• pinch of ground cardamom
• pinch of ground cloves

Procedure

1. to a small bowl add all the ingredients for garam masala and mix well; set aside.
2. to a big bowl, combine the minced pork with finely chopped shallot and garlic; add the egg, breadcrumbs, and garam masala and mix well; season with salt and pepper; using a cookie dough scoop, form equal size meatballs and set aside.
3. heat 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil to a frying pan and cook the meatballs, turning occasionally until brown and cooked through; transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. to the same pan, make the sauce; add 1-2 tbsp of vegetable oil and cook the shallot and garlic until soft, for about 5 minutes; stir in the harissa paste and coconut milk and stir to combine; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and allow to cook until thickened, for about 10 minutes; blend to desired consistency.
5. once the sauce is thick, add the meatballs in and coat well; serve immediately with white basmati rice or bread.