How to Megawatt Your Meatballs

The humble meatball has been given a delicious makeover by The Bowler, one of the Market’s innovative street food vendors, served straight from their pink and blue ice cream van.

How to recreate these little round nuggets of goodness yourself? Here’s a how-to. Top tip: for the full Bowler experience at home, serve these chicken balls with coconut curry sauce, steamed jasmine rice, lime wedges, crispy fried shallots and coriander leaves – or simply bang them in a pitta with some coleslaw. If that sounds like an awful lot of hard work, seek out the Bowler van in Camden Market.

GREEN CHILLI CHICKEN BALLS

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 fresh green chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 4cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
20 cashew nuts
3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander, plus extra leaves to garnish
2 free-range eggs
2 tablespoons milk
750g boneless chicken thighs, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
150g breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lime wedges, to serve

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220ºC (425ºF), Gas Mark 7 and line a large baking tray with non-stick baking parchment.

Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the onion and cook on a low heat for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, chillies, ginger and cashew nuts and cook on a low heat for 3 more minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

Remove from the heat, allow to cool a little, then put into a food processor with the coriander and blitz to a rough paste. You might have to add a splash of olive oil or water to help it blend properly.

Beat the eggs with the milk in a large bowl, then add the paste, minced chicken, garam masala, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, and mix well.

Hint: The Bowler chefs recommend using chicken thighs because they have much more flavour and moistness than breast meat, which can sometimes dry out quickly.

Recipe taken from The Bowler’s Meatball Cookbook available to buy here. For more info about The Bowler and where to find them, click here.