Beef Korma Porcupine Lettuce Cups

These easy curry flavoured beef meatballs are a twist on old fashioned porcupine balls. Cooked in a creamy korma sauce and served in lettuce cups for a lighter spring time meal. This recipe is ideal for batch cooking and freezing.

Serves 4

Effort: Easy

Prep: 10 mins

Cook:

Gluten free

Ingredients

• 500g beef mince

• 1 cup long grain rice

• 1 onion, finely diced

• 1 tbsp korma spice mix - Gourmet Spice Kits

• 1/4 cup almond meal

• 2 eggs

  Sauce

• 1 can coconut cream

• 2 tbsp korma spice blend

• 1/4 cup almond meal

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 2 baby cos lettuce, leaves separated

• Fresh coriander & mint - to serve

• Raita - recipe here

  See hints & tips to add heat to the dish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200c/ 180c fan. In a mixing bowl add mince, rice, onion, korma spice mix, almond meal, eggs and season with salt. With you hands mix to combine.

2. Using wet hands roll the mixture into 18 equal sized balls. Set a side.

3. In a oven proof dish mix coconut milk, chicken stock, 2 tbsp korma spice mix & almond meal. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

4. Place the porcupine balls into the sauce and gently coat each ball in the sauce.

5. Cover with a lid (or foil) and bake in the oven for 30-35 mins until the rice is cooked and sticking out of the meatball.

6. Leave to stand for 5 mins with the lid on. Rolls the porcupine balls through the sauce before serving.

7. Serve the korma porcupine balls along side lettuce cups, fresh coriander & mint and raita. See pic of idea.

Hints & tips

Mince - Beef mince is used in this recipe. Lamb, pork or chicken mince would also work.

Make it spicy - Add 1 tsp cayenne pepper to the mince mix in step 1. For an extra kick serve sliced chilli with the lettuce cups

Almond meal - Korma is known for its mild slightly sweet undertones from using almonds or cashew nuts. Using almond meal not only flavours the dish it helps thicken the sauce and make it gluten free.

Feel free to replace with cashew meal if you prefer.

Sauce - If the sauce is too thin once cooked, remove porcupine balls and place oven dish on the hob. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce has thicken slightly.

Serving suggestion - Serve with lettuce cups and raita for a lighter curry style dish. Add mini naan to the dish to make it more substantial - wrap the naan around the lettuce porcupine cups.

Portion size - This dish will serve 4 comfortably and 2 with leftovers. Will easily double.

Storage - This dish will keep in the fridge for 3 days. Suitable for freezing. Freeze porcupine balls raw and defrost when needed.

Cooked porcupine balls can also be frozen for a easy freezer meal.