They say third time’s a charm. If you’re a regular reader, you may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything this week – that’s because I’ve been working on this recipe. The first time, the flavors weren’t quite balanced. The second time, good – but I knew I could do better. I persisted rather than moving onto another recipe because I knew this dish had some serious potential, but with all these do-overs I was beginning to think I lost my cooking mojo – yikes! 
The third time at bat… finally, a home run! The meatballs were juicy, the flavors were complex, the coconut curry was bold and spicy. They were perfect, and they were gone in a matter of minutes. Most of the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store, but there are a few that you may be wondering about:
- Galangal – there is really no good substitute for galangal, so a substitution should be your last resort. There are some that say that there is NO substitute for galangal, but lets be realistic – if you’re in an area that does not carry this exotic root, then throwing out the likes of that ingredient from the recipe entirely is a bit crazy…in my opinion. That said, first try the international aisle of your local grocery store or Asian food store – it can be located with produce or even in the freezer section. IF galangal is nowhere to be found, use the equivalent measurement of minced ginger with a pinch of mace and pepper.
- Shrimp paste – I have only seen this ingredient in International/Asian markets. However, if you cannot find shrimp paste, simply add the equal measurement in fish sauce – most local grocery stores with an international aisle will carry fish sauce. However, in a pinch you may substitute soy sauce – although, the dish may then lack some of those more complex flavors.
I paired the meatballs and coconut curry with jasmine rice, but vermicelli noodles would be another awesome option.
- Meatballs:
- 1½ pounds ground pork
- 2 shallots, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup panko
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Coconut Green Curry:
- 3 - 15 green Thai chilies*
- 3 shallots
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, hard outer husks removed
- ½ a thumb-sized piece of galangal
- zest of one lime
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
- ¼ cup cilantro stems
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1¼ kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2-4 tablespoons water
- 1 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- ½ cup unsalted chicken stock
- For serving:
- steamed jasmine rice
- thinly sliced mint
- thinly sliced cilantro
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs (except for the vegetable oil) in a large bowl. Form the mixture into 1½-inch meatballs and arrange on several plates or on one baking sheet. Refrigerate until ready to use.*
- Combine the first 12 ingredients of the coconut curry in a food processor. Process, adding the water 1 tablespoon at a time until it forms a thick paste.
- In a medium saucepan combine the coconut milk, chicken stock, and curry paste. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to simmer, stirring occasionally. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- While the coconut curry is simmering, cook the meatballs. Add the oil to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs, working in batches if needed. Cook for 10 -15 minutes, turning to brown all sides.
- To serve, ladle some of the coconut curry into bowls, add the rice, meatballs, and top with the mint, cilantro, and a lime wedge.
* The uncooked meatballs can be made and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Just be sure to cover if storing.
This recipe looks absolutely amazing!
Thanks Julie 🙂
I made this last night. It was good but really spicy. I followed to directions completely but only added 7chillies instead of 15 and it was still really hot. I removed the stem but not the seeds but now I’m wondering if I should have. I ended up adding a can of coconut cream and some palm sugar to mellow out the heat. If you have any notes for those of us that are looking for 2 or 3 stars for the spice, I’d love to know.
The meatballs were great and I’ll defiantly give this another go. Thanks.
Hi Mary! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the meatballs, though I’m sorry that the green curry was too hot. Heat levels really are such a personal preference – like I love really spicy Thai food. However, I know that there are people who have different comfort levels on heat. So I really appreciate your comment so I can make a notation for a less spicy alternative. That being said, I recommend using 3-4 Thai chilies with the seeds in. That should give you a little kick without being too assertive.
The next time you make these, I’d really love to know what you think about the adjusted heat level. Thanks so much, Mary! Hope you have a great week!
Awesome recipe. Thanks again for sharing!
Thanks, Derek! I’m so glad to hear you like it 🙂
omg, these look amazing! You know I’m a fan of meatballs with Asian inspired flavors. Thanks for your hard work in coming up with just the right recipe. Can’t wait to try these!!
Just discovered your site, you have wonderful recipes. Love how you have combined green curry and meatballs together, sounds delicious!
You’re setting a very high bar for the rest of us Kathleen! The persistence of perfection is definitely worth it. The list of coconut green curry ingredients sounds wonderful and I can imagine the amazing taste. Planning to do a Thai dish soon and will try out your perfect recipe of course 🙂
Thanks, Maggie. It was a dish definitely worth doing over a few times 😉
Love these fusion meatballs! Such an awesome explosion of flavors and the fact that you made them three times means they were definitely worth the wait <3
Thanks, Kelly! My kitchen was overflowing with meatballs… but I sure had fun eating them all 🙂
3rd time looks and sounds like a home run. I can tell by your ingredient list it is very delicious. I love your idea of using meatballs for curry that is so fun. I think my boys would quite like that. I also just love those chopsticks. Those are a great prop and your photos are stunning as always. Pinning!
Thanks, Bobbi. I thought the meatballs were a fun little twist too 🙂 My husband got me a set of those chopsticks when he was working in the Philippines – they’re my absolute favorite to use!
I really love this idea! Sounds delicious!
Thanks, Sabrina.
The fact that it took you three tries to perfect this recipe makes me love it even more. . plus, there are meatballs involved . . LOVE!
It was certainly a labor of love 😉
Wow, you are setting me up to make these for dinner. I love Thai green curry!!
Great! I hope you enjoy them, Gerry! Let me know what you think.
I love Thai green curry – one of my favourite dishes to make! This looks delicious!
Mine too, Jess! 🙂
Holy-Meat-Ahhh-Balllllsss-A! CRAZY deliciousness up in hapanom dot com land! Totally worth the wait, because I absolutely WAS wondering where you were at! But, I didn’t really worry too much, I just used my surveillance system to check up on my girl 😉 Hehe I kid. While I am sure these balls of meat-tastic yum yums were absolutely delish the first two times you made them, now I can rest assure these WILL knock the taste buds right outta my face since these were a THREE time effort. That is commitment to the meatball cause girl- I salute you! I am just loving, and drooling, over these rolly-polly lil’ guys- Thai Green Curry PLUS coconut IN meatball lovin’ form? yes.Yes.YES! I want to curl up with a big vat of these and just rest in peace. 🙂 Pinned! xoxo
Ha! Is that what that little flashing light in my backyard was? Did you see all of the meatballs just tumbling out of my house? 😛
PS What is the shooting surface you use? I LOVE it!
It’s a marble pastry board! I love using it – it gives me that white background I love so much, but adds a bit of texture.
I think we were on the same wavelength this week. I’ve had SO many disasters with a cheesecake strawberry bread I’ve been trying to “invent”. I’ve made it FIVE times and I don’t think I’m going to get there.
As for this? I bet the 1st attempt was still delicious. The fact that you made it 3 times to perfect it means that this is sensational. I’m making it this weekend. I LOVE your curry recipes!! I know your Thai Curry Soup off by heart now!!
Seriously… it was like disaster after disaster for me too! I was beginning to wonder if I completely lost my ability to cook! Whatever happens, keep working on that strawberry cheesecake bread – that sound ridiculously awesome!
Oh my, the meatballs and curry look AMAZING! All the hard works have paid off. *clap clap* Please send a bowl! 🙂
Thanks! It was definitely a labor of love 🙂 Sending virtual Thai Green Curry Meatballs your way!
Your photos are always so insanely gorgeous! Glad you didn’t give up on this recipe because it’s definitely a keeper. I’m all about Thai curries and will be pinning this recipe and making it soon with some vermicelli rice noodles.
Aww… thanks, Karrie 🙂 I hope you love it as much as I do!
I need to start cooking Thai food at home and these would be a good place to start. De-licious.
I really think you’re going to love them, Janette 🙂
Can’t wait to try these – they sound incredible! Worth the wait!
Thanks, Suzanne. I hope you enjoy 🙂
Looks great, sharing to Welcome to My Kitchen on Facebook. Also shared your page a few days ago. Our varied taste in food are similar-love your posts. Charles
That’s great! Thanks so much for sharing, Charles. Variety is the spice of life, right? 🙂
So glad the third time these turned perfect and you didn’t give up Kathleen 🙂 I rarely make meatballs (I’m too lazy !), but The flavors are awesome and I’ll definitely try this dish !
Wow! This sounds absolutely wonderful. For those who have trouble finding galangal, I found it in the freezer at one of our Asian grocery stores (and that’s living in an area where 80% of the population is Hispanic, so we don’t have as great a variety of Asian foods as most places). Definitely check both the produce section and the freezer section of your Asian market. It’s good to know how to sub ginger properly for galangal, and how to do green curry paste from scratch. At some point, when I have more energy than I do now, I will make this (and my husband WILL eat it…) 😀
Thanks, Susan. That’s a good point, and I’ll make a note of it under galangal. Hope you and your husband enjoy 🙂
Oh how delicious. I have made these with ground chicken before, now I must try it with pork. Beautiful looking dinner!
Thanks, Tania. I bet chicken would be great as well! That’s one of the things I love about these meatballs, they’re great with pork, chicken, turkey, beef, or even a blend.
Oh my word that looks good! Am so making this one, kathleen. The fusion going on in this, is Incredible. Quick question, can I use half beef and half pork or just stick with the pork? Thanks!
Thanks, Immaculate 🙂 Yes, go for it! I’m always a fan of blending meats in meatballs and the coconut curry sauce is certainly versatile enough to compliment a blend. I hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!
The third time is a charm! These meatballs sound incredible, with such complex flavors! And any sauce that has a whole can of coconut milk is my kind of sauce!
I’m totally with you – I love a nice addition of coconut to a sauce.
OH WOW! These bowls look phenomenal, Kathleen! I am so dying to have this right now! Loved that this recipe came out outstanding after a couple of trials! JUST YUM! And these photos are stunning! 🙂
Thanks, Anu. It was certainly a dish worth several tries 😉 Hope you have a great weekend!