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Thai Fusion Red Curry Meatballs: My Thai Spin on Spaghetti and Meatballs

Susie Thompson
This is my Thai spin on spaghetti and meatballs, and it is one of my favorite things I have ever created in my kitchen. The meatballs are seasoned with red curry paste, fresh cilantro, garlic, fish sauce, and brown sugar, browned until golden, then simmered in a rich coconut milk red curry sauce that is everything a good Thai curry should be. Serve it over jasmine rice for a Thai dinner or over spaghetti for something wonderfully unexpected. Both are delicious. The table gets to decide. Make this on a night when you want to surprise everyone, including yourself.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Appetizer, Curry, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine Thai/American
Servings 4
Calories 380 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground beef or chicken, pork
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp red curry paste
  • 1 can 14 oz coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the Meatballs
    Combine the ground meat, breadcrumbs, cilantro, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until just combined. Roll into 1-inch meatballs. Do not overmix.
  • Cook the Meatballs:
    Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown meatballs on all sides until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  • Make the curry sauce:
    In the same skillet, add the red curry paste. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Combine and Simmer: Return meatballs to the skillet, coat with sauce, and simmer for another 5 minutes until heated through and the sauce thickens slightly.

Notes

Do not overmix the meatball mixture. Mix until the ingredients are evenly combined and stop. Overworked ground beef develops tough proteins that produce a dense, chewy meatball. Mix gently, stop early, and the meatballs will be tender.
Brown the meatballs before they go into the sauce and do it properly. The browning develops a crust that holds the meatball together during the sauce simmer and creates the fond in the pan that becomes the flavor foundation of the curry sauce. Brown them until golden on all sides.
Build the curry sauce in the same pan you browned the meatballs in. The residual oil and fond from browning contain concentrated flavor that goes directly into the sauce the moment the red curry paste hits the pan.
The sauce should be at a gentle simmer, not a boil, when the meatballs go back in. A boiling sauce will cause the meatballs to break apart. Low and gentle for five minutes is what produces meatballs that are cooked through and tender and a sauce that is rich and slightly thickened.

Nutrition

Serving: 5meatballsCalories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 26gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 520mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3g
Keyword Thai Red Curry Meatballs
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