Thai Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce

In 2016 I spent two months travelling through Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. It was my first time in Southeast Asia and I fell in love with the place. Life moves at a different pace there; I think it’s one of the few times in my life I could actually completely let go and experience a care-free existence. One of my favourite things about travelling there, especially Thailand, was of course the FOOD! Ohhhh the food! The street food is absolutely amazing, especially in the night markets of Bangkok and Chiang Mai! You can find, and eat anything your heart desires there! Heaven!

Anyway, been thinking a lot about my travels there recently, yes I do miss it… Maybe I should go back… Hmmm… And I decided to refresh some of the taste bud memories by making my own version of a Thai dish… This is what I came up with!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 400 grams Chicken Mince
• 1/8 tsp Chilli Flakes
• 1/4 cup Cilantro – chopped
• 4 Green Onions – chopped
• 1 Egg
• 1 Can (400 grams) Coconut Milk
• 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 tbsp Peanut Butter – Smooth
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp Red Curry Paste
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 cup Gluten Free Breadcrumbs
• 200 grams Rice Noodles
• 2 tbsp Crushed Peanuts
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Recipe Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and place a piece of parchment paper over a baking sheet.
2. Get a medium-sized bowl and mix your Chicken Mince, Green Onions, Cilantro, Fish Sauce, 1 tbsp of the Red Curry Paste, the GF breadcrumbs and salt and pepper.
3. Mix well and form into balls. I got around 15 of them from this mix.
4. Bake for approx. 20 minutes. Don’t worry if they look a bit underdone when you get them out of the oven.
5. In the meantime, in a medium saucepan, heat the Sesame Oil, add the other tbsp of Red Curry Paste and leave on a medium flame for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the Coconut Milk, Peanut Butter, Brown Sugar and Chilli Flakes as well as some Salt and Pepper to taste.
7. Cook for around 5 minutes on a low flame.
8. Add the meatballs to the sauce once they are done baking, and cook in the saucepan for another 10 minutes on low heat.
9. Prepare your rice noodles (or rice) as per the packet instructions.
10. Once ready serve your meatballs over the noodles or rice.
11. Garnish with a few leaves of Cilantro and some Crushed Peanuts.

There you have it! Thai style dining in the comfort of your own home! I just loved the flavour of this dish, the peanuts just add a special texture and taste to it all. I would still recommend Thailand if you want to try the real thing of course ;), but this is a cheaper and easier alternative I guess! 😀