Recipe provided by | ANDREA SLONECKER
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground American lamb
3/4 cup grated paneer cheese
2/3 cup chopped fresh mint, plus more for
garnish
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
3 teaspoon garam masala
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon medium chile powder, such as
Indian Kashmiri or New Mexican
1 teaspoon each ground turmeric and cumin
One 28-oz canned diced tomatoes, with juices
To serve: steamed basmati rice and chopped toasted almonds
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the broiler with a rack positioned about 4 inches from the heating element.
In a large bowl, mix together the lamb, paneer, half of the mint, breadcrumbs, egg, 1 tablespoon of the garlic, the ginger, 2 teaspoons of the garam masala, and 1 teaspoon salt. Roll the mixture into 16 meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil the meatballs, turning occasionally, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
Heat the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, tomato paste, and chili powder and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste has darkened and onion is soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon garlic, turmeric, and cumin, and cook, stirring often, until the bottom of the pot begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and stir to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the meatballs and bring to a simmer. Cook at a gentle simmer until sauce the thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the remaining mint and garam masala. Serve the meatballs and sauce over rice with more mint and almonds to garnish.