I created this curry many years ago. I would sometimes sit and daydream about recipes, usually about Indian foods and curries. I liked the idea of making minted lamb meatballs, I also think mint goes great with chilli.

This ended up being the recipe that I used when I applied for MasterChef. Even though the producer had to eat it cold as we were not provided with heating facilities in the interview, it was still a big hit.

It has always been a favourite of my friends. It has a sweetness to it and with the mint and chilli it makes this dish unusual but delicious.

Ingredients:

1 kilo lamb mince

1 tsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. mint sauce

1 tbsp. oil for frying, I used coconut oil

1 onion, diced

2 red bird’s eye chillies

250ml lamb stock

400ml tinned tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp. soft brown sugar

75g green beans, halved

30g fresh mint

12 baby plum or cherry tomatoes

100ml natural yoghurt

Paste

2 tbsp.coriander seeds

1 tbsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. black peppercorns

4 cloves of garlic

3” chunk of ginger

1 tbsp. tomato puree

1 tbsp. mint sauce

1 tsp. tamarind

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. paprika

Method:

Place the mince into a bowl with the salt add the mint sauce, mix well. With wet hands, start to form even balls. You can use an ice-cream scoop to make these perfectly round, but I don’t think these need to be perfect; justmake sure they are compact enough as lamb does tend to break up quite easily, especially if it is not lean mince. Set aside.

Paste: dry fry the coriander, cumin and peppercorns until you smell an aroma, using a blender blitz to a powder. Add the rest of the paste ingredients and blitz it up to be a smooth. (you can also use coriander/cumin powder) Set aside.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Heat your oil then start to fry the meatballs in batches, carefully turning them so each side is browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the same pan add the onions; cook until browned. Prick the chillies with a knife then add these to the pan along with the paste. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the stock, the tinned tomatoes and the brown sugar. Let this bubble away for another couple of minutes. Then add the meatballs and cover with a lid. Place the covered pan into the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

After this time add the green beans, the fresh mint, fresh tomatoes and stir in the yoghurt. Pop back in the oven uncovered and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve with a drizzle of yoghurt and fresh mint leaves.

Enjoy xx

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