By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up minorganmichael@yahoo.com
JUICY CHICKEN MEATBALLS
Meatballs are a popular dish in many cultures: Afghanistan, Armenia, Austria, Hungary, Iran, Greece The Philippines and Sweden, just to name a very few.
A ‘kofta’ is a Middle Eastern or South East Asian meatball variety derived from the Persian word ‘kufta’. (1)
This week’s recipe and image is taken from my favorite Asian food website www.rasamalaysia.com. I have tried them on numerous occasions and they are delicious. Make them as spicy as you like and enjoy them alone or with your favorite noodle or pasta dish….Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skineless chicken thighs
1/4 small onion
3-4 small garlic
1 egg white
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
3 dashes black pepper
10 cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Mashed green peas
Finely diced carrots
Cayenne pepper
Oil, for shallow frying
Method:
Blend the chicken, onion, garlic, egg white, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor until well combined. Transfer the ground chicken out in a bowl and stir in the chopped cilantro leaves. For the toddler version, fold in the mashed peas and diced carrots. For the regular version, just add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. Stir to combine well.
Wet both hands with some water and shape the ground chicken into meatballs and lay on a plate lined with parchment paper. Heat up a pan or skillet with some oil, shallow fry the meatballs until lightly browned or cooked through. Serve immediately.
