Burmese meatball curry

Method

• step 1

  Crush the ginger and garlic with a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar to form a coarse paste. Alternatively, blitz together in a food processor. Put half the paste in a bowl with the beef, 1 tsp of paprika, ½ tsp of turmeric and ½ tsp of salt. Mix well and form into 20 balls, using your palms to press them together to make sure they’re well formed and won’t fall apart in the pan.

• step 2

  Put a large frying pan or casserole over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. Once hot, tilt the pan to evenly distribute the oil and carefully add the meatballs. Turn them over after 2-3 mins to brown them all over – they don’t need to be fully cooked at this point, so just a gentle browning is fine.

• step 3

  Remove the meatballs to a plate. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil to the pan and allow to come up to heat for a minute, then add the onions. Turn the heat to low-medium and fry slowly, stirring every few minutes, for 15 mins or until golden and soft.

• step 4

  Add the remaining paste to the pan and mix well, then add the remaining 1 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of turmeric and chilli powder with the tomato purée, fish sauce, coconut and 250ml of water. Stir well so the coconut melts into the sauce, then put the meatballs back in the pan, cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat for 10-15 mins.

• step 5

  Serve the curry with plenty of steamed rice and veg, and some pickled mustard greens, if you like.