Ready-made Indian cooking sauces are not something I would normally use in my everyday Indian cooking. I tend to have all the spices I need in my cupboard anyway. But I made an exception with Jeyel’s South Indian sauces.

Jeyel’s South Indian cooking sauces are made from 100% natural ingredients, are free from nasties and are vegan friendly. Most importantly, they bring the fresh flavours from South India, something that I love to eat. Coming from the north of India, I don’t have the culinary expertise to recreate these traditional recipes at home, which is why I wanted to give these sauces a go.

You can read about Jeyel’s backstory here.

I have made my own version of Meatball Curry using their South Indian Lamb Curry Sauce. Given that the cooking part is so easy-peasy (just add sauce to the protein, heat and serve!), I had time to make my own lamb meatballs from scratch, although you can use ready-made ones to further cut down the cooking time. The end result is a fragrant, spicy number that you can whip up in minutes on a weeknight without the hassle of spending hours chopping, marinating, cooking and cleaning!

Recipe below.

For the meatballs – makes about 20

• 500g mince lamb
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped 
• 1/2 deseeded red chilli
• Handful of coriander leaves chopped. If you don’t have coriander, parsley will work too.
• 3 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp paprika 
• 32g Panko crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

• Transfer the lamb mince in a large mixing bowl.
• Sauté onion, garlic and chilli in a pan until they soften. 
• Leave it to cool slightly, then add the mixture to the mince.
• Add all the spice and herbs to the meat and mix gently.
• Add the beaten egg and breadcrumbs.
• Shape into golf-sized balls.
• Refrigerate for at least 30 to 60 minutes. 
• Fry on medium heat in a frying pan until all sides are evenly browned.
• Remove with slotted spoon into a bowl and cover.
• Add Jeyel’s South Indian cooking sauce to the same pan. I used half the packet as I wanted a drier dish and the opened sauce lasts for up to three days in the fridge.
• Add the meatballs and stir gently to coat. 
• Cover with lid to ensure the meatballs are cooked internally – about 10 min. 
• Remove lid and cook until sauce thickens a bit. 
• Serve with steamed rice or rotis.

For more information on Jeyel’s range of sauces, please visit their website.

N.B. This is a collaborative post with Jeyel’s South Indian cooking sauces.

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Simple Curry Dinner for two at home.