Cashews and Coconut Meatballs in a Rich Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• Serves 6 to 8
• ½ cup (50 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3 tablespoons of neutral oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ¼ cup (190 g) unsalted roasted cashews, divided
• 1 cup (about 30 g) lightly packed cilantro (fresh coriander)
• 1 cup (about 30 g) packed flat leaf parsley
• 1 lb (450 g) ground beef
• 1 lb (450 g) ground pork
• 3 teaspoon garam masala, divided
• ¾ cup (170 g) coconut milk, divided
• 1 large egg plus one egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 hot green pepper, like Anaheim, deseeded and diced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 x 14 ½ ounce (400 g) can crushed tomatoes
• Yogurt for serving

Instructions

1. In a large dry skillet over medium heat, toast the coconut, stirring frequently, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the toasted coconut to a large bowl - this will be the bowl for the meatball ingredients.
2. In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat until soft and golden, 8 – 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Spoon 1/3 of the cooked onion mixture into the bowl with the toasted coconut and put the rest of the onion mixture aside.
3. Place the cashews in the bowl of a food process and pulse to grind - you want them fine, but not so fine that you have cashew paste! Add 1 cup of the ground cashews to the other ingredients in the meatball bowl and put the rest aside.
4. Now put the cilantro and parsley in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the chopped herbs to the meatball bowl, along with the beef and pork, ¼ cup of the coconut milk, the egg, the egg yolk, 2 teaspoons of garam masala, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.
5. Using your hands, mix everything together and then shape into balls, about 50 g each (a little less than 2 ounces) to make about 20-24 meatballs. The meatballs can be shaped up to an hour in advance and refrigerated until ready to cook.
6. Make the sauce: Put the remaining cooked onions, diced green pepper and tomato paste into a medium size pot. Place over medium high heat and cook several minutes until the onions sizzle and the tomato paste starts to darken. Add the remaining teaspoon of garam masala, cook 1 minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, remaining ½ cup of coconut milk and the remaining ground cashews, stir to combine. Reduce the temperature to medium, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.
8. While the sauce is cooking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large cast-iron skillet or large heavy-based saucepan or Dutch oven. Add a few meatballs at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook, using a spatula or tongs, to gently rotate them until they are lightly browned all over. Transfer to a platter.
9. When all the meatballs have been browned, return them to the skillet and ladle the sauce over the top. The meatballs should be almost covered. Add a little water if you need to make up the liquid. Place on medium low heat and simmer, very gently, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. If you added water to the sauce and you think it is too thin, remove the lid near the end of the cooking time and turn up the heat to let it reduce. When done, turn off the heat and let the meatballs rest in the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes with the lid on then serve drizzled with yogurt and accompanied by basmati rice or flatbreads.