Burmese meatball curry (Athar-lone hin)

Meatball curry is a common dish in Myanmar. Ther are regional variations in the meat used, more goat in the north and a mix of beef and pork in the south, but the essence of the dish remains the same. This dish exemplifies home-style cooking, elemental to its core, with the simplest of ingredients to create wonderful flavours. These meatball curries are influenced by Indian cuisine in their spice profile and by the Yunnanese technique of creating soft meatballs. In addition, colonial influences made these dishes popular nationwide.

This is a lovely mild curry with tender meatballs. The spices are well-rounded and balanced. Paprika especially adds a smoky note to the sauce. The dish is best enjoyed with rice or a bread like naan.

Mandalay is not just a cookbook; it is an insight into the culture and customs of Myanmar's cuisine. The book is packed with recipes and stories about Mimi that bring these recipes together beautifully. The recipes are pretty simple in terms of ingredients, without any special ingredients generally required, but the flavours are authentic and delicious. This is a lovely book to use as an introduction to Burmese cooking, and one I will be cooking from often.

For more recipes from this amazing cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons peanut oil

3 onions, finely diced

1 spiring onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

5 garlic cloves, minced

4 tomatoes, finely diced

3 Thai chillies, minced, or to taste

1 teaspoon paprika

Salt, to taste

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 cups water

For the meatballs:

1 lb finely ground mutton

3 spring onions, finely sliced

1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, minced + to garnish

1 egg

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon MSG (optional)

2 cups water

Note: You can use a 50:50 combination of mutton and pork.

Start by making the sauce: Heat the oil on a low flame, then fry the onions, spring onions and turmeric until very soft. Do not colour the onions. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chilli, paprika, salt, fish sauce and water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down into a sauce. Make sure there is always enough water, or the sauce will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

Make the meatballs by combining all the ingredients. Mix with your hands until evenly combined.

Heat a large frying pan. Make a teaspoon-sized patty and fry in the pan. Cool and taste for salt and spices. Adjust as needed.

Add 1 inch of water to the pan, the 2 cups. Bring to a boil. Make ping-pong-sized meatballs and drop them into the pan. Continue until all the meatball mix is finished; you should get between 2 and 25 meatballs. Turn them over in the water and cook for 3 minutes until they are completely cooked through. Remove from the water, saving the stock.

By now, the sauce should be ready. Strain the stock into the sauce and add the meatballs. Submerge the meatballs in the sauce, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes to allow them to absorb the flavour of the sauce. Set aside until you are ready. The longer the meatballs sit in the sauce, the better they taste.

To serve, heat the meatballs and sauce. You may ned to add a touch of water if the sauce is too thick. Serve in a bowl garnished with cilantro.