This dish bursts with Indian flavours and aromas and is particularly heavy on coriander.
Coriander has a high essential oil content, which gives this herb its distinctive fresh and citrusy taste. The very same essential oils also contain an array of phytonutrients, which have shown strong antifungal and antimicrobial activity. Compounds isolated from coriander essential oils demonstrated efficacy against microorganisms causing skin infections (e.g. Streptococcus genus), food poisoning (e.g. Salmonella), urinary tract infections (E .coli), dental caries and candidiasis.
This property can be attributed (at least to a degree) to the fact that these compounds appear to inhibit bacterial biofilm formation. Biofilm is an aggregation of microbial cells attached to each other and to a surface and enclosed in a self-made protective matrix. The matrix increases biofilms resistance to common detergents, disinfectants and antibiotics and makes them rather difficult to eradicate.
So let’s cool this flavoursome and healthful dish.
Meatballs with vegetable curry and mint-coriander chutney
For the meatballs
500gr beef mince
80gr finely ground almonds
2 onions (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
a handful of fresh coriander (chopped)
1 table spoon of mint leaves (chopped)
1 table spoon coriander powder
1 tea spoon cumin
1 ½ tea spoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 table spoon of olive oil for cooking
For the vegetable curry
1 large onion (chopped)
1 aubergine (cut into 1 cm pieces)
3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
1 can chickpeas (400 gr), drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 bay leaves
½ each of cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, cumin, curry and coriander powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
300 ml water
2 table spoons of olive oil for cooking
For the chutney
A handful of fresh coriander
A handful of fresh mint leaves
1/3 red chili pepper
1 shallot
1 tea spoon ginger (grated)
juice of ½ lime
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C
- Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and shape the mixture into pin pong ball size meatballs.
- Brown the meatballs in 1 table spoon of olive oil and transfer to an oven-proof dish. Bake until ready (approx. 15 min). Set aside.
- While the meatballs a cooking make the vegetable curry. Sautee onions in 2 table spoons of olive oil until golden brown.
- Add garlic, ginger, bay leaf and all the spices. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add tomatoes and cook until the liquid is evaporated.
- Add the aubergine and chickpeas and mix well.
- Add water and salt. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes on low heat stirring occasionally. If the curry becomes too dry add some more water.
- Make the chutney. Combine all the chutney ingredients in a blender and blend until it reaches pesto consistency.
- Serve meatballs with the vegetable curry and mint-coriander chutney.