Thai meatball coconut curry recipe

By Lucy Williams

Makes 2 dishes; each serves 4
Takes 30 minutes to make, 20 minutes to cook, plus chilling, freezing, defrosting and reheating
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Make this double-up Thai curry dish and freeze half, ready to be popped in the oven for quick, easy dinner.

3 tbsp olive oil
2 red peppers, sliced
4-5 tbsp Penang curry paste (we used Thai Kitchen Penang Curry Paste, from Tesco and Waitrose)
2 x 400ml cans coconut milk
1 each large red and large green chillies, deseeded and finely shredded
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed and finely diced
Juice of 2 limes, plus lime wedges, to serve
150g ground almonds
Steamed rice, to serve

1. In a large bowl, mix the ingredients for the meatballs. Season and, with wet hands, form into about 40 walnut-size balls. Put on a large plate and chill for 15 minutes or until needed.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large, deep frying pan, add the meatballs, in 2 batches, and fry for 10 minutes until cooked through and browned. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan, heat the remaining olive oil, add the peppers and fry for 2 minutes until softened, then add the curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the coconut milk, chillies, spring onions, lemongrass and lime juice. Gently simmer for a few minutes, then add the almonds and cook for a few minutes to warm through (add a little water if the curry sauce seems too thick).
4. Add the meatballs to the curry sauce and heat through. Divide half the curry among 4 serving bowls, sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve with rice and lime wedges.
5. Cool the remaining curry and spoon into a freezerproof container. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then transfer to a saucepan and heat until the sauce and meatballs are piping hot. Serve as in step 4.