Chicken tikka masala meatballs

Marinate the chicken breast

Prepare a marinade for the chicken. Pour yogurt into a bowl and add grated garlic and ginger. Finely mince the red chili pepper (without the seeds) and mix it into the yogurt along with 3 tablespoons of ‘tikka masala’ curry paste. Cut the chicken breasts into small cubes and toss them through the marinade. Set aside and let the meat marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Shape the balls and bake them

Scoop the pieces of marinated chicken out of the marinade and mix them into the minced meat. Keep the rest of the spiced yoghurt. Divide the chicken mince into small portions of about 40 g each and roll each portion into a meatball. Pour oil into a deep pan or stew pot and fry the meatballs until they have a golden brown crust. Scoop the lightly fried meatballs out of the pan and set them aside for a moment.

Make the sauce

Finely chop the shallots and sweat them translucent in the pan in which you browned the meatballs. Add 2 tablespoons of tikka masala curry paste and let them fry briefly while stirring. Also add the leftover yoghurt marinade, along with the diced tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Place the meatballs into the sauce after a few minutes and let them simmer together for about 10 minutes. Season with pepper and salt to taste (if the sauce is too thick, you can add a little water).

Cook the rice

Bring water to a boil. Cook the aromatic basmati rice in water until done. If desired, stir a splash of (olive) oil into the cooked rice and add a little salt to taste.

Make the cucumber

Cut long, fine strips of cucumber with the vegetable peeler. Sprinkle a little salt over it and drizzle some fresh lemon or lime juice over the vegetable. Finally, add chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve the meatballs together with the rice and the cucumber. Enjoy your meal!