There is one thing that gets me about this recipe every time–the FLAVOR! These little Thai Green Curry Meatballs are bursting with bold flavor! I think that’s why I love Thai food so much, in general. It doesn’t matter what type of dish you’re eating–like these Thai chicken lettuce wraps, or spring roll bowls— it will have tons of flavor, it’s usually healthy and made with fresh ingredients.
This recipe starts with easy homemade meatballs.
Mix the rolled oats, egg, and milk together. Let is sit for a few minutes to allow everything to soak together and the oats to soften. You could also use breadcrumbs.
Add the ground turkey and other ingredients and stir everything to combine. You’ll be able to tell just by their smell, how amazing they are going to taste!
Cook them in a hot skillet, in batches, until they’re nice and brown on all sides. Then remove them to a plate while you mix the sauce ingredients together.
The sauce for these meatballs is really simple. You just need unsweetened coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, garlic, and salt and pepper. Taste the sauce. You may want to add more curry paste, if you’d like it spicier.
Add the meatballs back to the pan and simmer them in the sauce until they are cooked through. Add the lime juice.
Serve the meatballs over your favorite kind of rice. I prefer jasmine or basmati rice, but brown rice is also a great, healthier option. I garnish them with fresh Thai basil and chopped cilantro. YUM!
If you love Thai food, you may like:
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Recipe
Thai Green Curry Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 cup cup old-fashioned rolled oats, or panko breadcrumbs*
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey, pork or chicken
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons Green curry paste
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce (optinal)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic , finely minced
- 1/2 cup onion , diced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
For the sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon Green curry paste*
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 15 ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4-5 cups cooked jasmine rice , brown rice, white rice, or basmati rice, for serving
Instructions
- Combine meat mixture: Add the oats, egg and milk to a large mixing bowl. Mix together and set aside for 10 minutes. Add ground meat, ginger, curry paste, fish sauce, sugar, salt, garlic and onion. Mix to combine.
- Roll into balls: Scoop the meat mixture into balls, a little smaller than golf-ball size.
- Cook Meatballs: In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, place one layer of meatballs in the pan, leaving space between each---you may meed to cook them in two separate batches, depending on the size of your pan. Brown the meatballs on all sides, turning occasionally as they cook. They don't need to be cooked through, just browned on all sides. Remove the meatballs to a plate. (Remove some of the grease if there is excess).
- Make sauce: Add curry paste and garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in one can of coconut milk, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Stir cornstarch in to the other can of coconut milk, and add to the pan. Add brown sugar, garlic, lime, fish sauce, cilantro and stir to combine.
- Simmer: Return meatballs to pan and simmer them in the sauce until cooked through, about 10 more minutes.
- Serve over hot, cooked rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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*Nutritional label does not include rice.
I originally shared this recipe in February 2014. Updated January 2018.
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Flavorful dish. Loved the fresh lime. Served with sautéed pea pods and orange bell pepper for sweet pairing with the spicy curry. I used 1.5 T Mae ploy green curry paste in the sauce and it was plenty spicy for us, and we like spice. Start with a little then add more!
Made this recipe tonight, served with steamed broccolini, chopped cucumber with chopped mint, peanuts and Thai salad dressing, sesame seeds and plenty of coriander and mint. A hit, thanks for the lovely recipe.
These meatballs are delicious! My husband who says he hates ground chicken and turkey absolutely wolfed these down. He remarked how tender and flavourful they were! We ate some and have frozen the rest for a rainy day, thank you for this recipe.
Oh my goodness, this was a great recipe! I made this for meal prep lunches and can’t wait for the next few days! I froze half of the meatballs for future use and added spinach while the meatballs were simmering in the sauce for the added veggie. This recipe is definitely going in the regular rotation–many thanks for sharing!
Used the ground chicken for this. Amazing. Two things make this the bomb: fish sauce and fresh lime juice! We added fresh chopped Serrano for serving for those who like a surprise bit of heat. Otherwise changed nothing. Saved this recipe to my homescreen. 😋
Made these with my husband last night and they were delicious! We found this from your “Weekly Meal Plan (39)” and are now super excited for the rest of the meals. This recipe was fast, easy, and tasty. It’s definitely joining our regular dinner rotation dishes. Thank you for sharing!