This is a pretty quick and easy curry, unless you count all the work Missy did to find us the pheasants.
Aside from grinding the meat myself, which is really pretty quick, I cut corners by using prepared curry powder, ginger, and garlic. I already had roasted peppers and crushed tomatoes in the freezer, so it couldn’t have come together any easier. A little bag of shelled peas thrown in to simmer at the end finished it off.
You can use a smaller amount of tomato if you like more emphasis on the coconut milk and a less-pink sauce.
Pheasant Meatball Curry
Meatballs:
about 1 1/2 pounds ground pheasant breast
1/2 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated ginger or ginger paste
1 tablespoon grated garlic or garlic paste
Curry:
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon (or more) curry powder
1 tablespoon grated ginger or ginger paste
1 tablespoon grated garlic or garlic paste
1/2-1 cup canned crushed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded
2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded, chopped
1 can coconut milk
1 cup fresh shelled peas, if available, or frozen peas
- Mix all the meatball ingredients lightly. I like to use a large meat fork with just two tines to mix lightly. There is no egg or breadcrumb filler in these meatballs, so it’s not hard to lightly mix. I like the shaggy look of the parsley sticking out all over these meatballs.
- Form into about 21 meatballs, slightly smaller than golf balls, setting aside until the curry is ready.
- In a large skillet with straight sides, sometimes called a chicken fryer, cook the diced onion in about 1 tablespoon cooking oil, such as canola or coconut, over medium heat until soft and translucent, but not browned.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, and curry powder to release those flavors.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes and peppers.
- Stir in the coconut milk.
- Place the meatballs in one layer in the sauce. Don’t worry that they are not covered and don’t stir yet or you will break them up.
- Cover the pan and bring the sauce to a low boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer covered for about 15 minutes, stirring to turn the meatballs over after 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the peas, fresh or frozen, over the meatballs and sauce, and continue to simmer, covered, for about 5 more minutes. The meatballs should reach an internal temperature of about 140°.
Serve the meatballs and sauce over rice.
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