A British classic with a twist, these easy Turkey Tikka Masala Meatballs showcase British produce at its best. Delicious with Bombay New Potatoes and Courgette Salad.
You know me, I’m always up for a foodie challenge… So when British Turkey got in touch and asked if I could come up with an innovative recipe using British Turkey and Red Tractor products, I was happy to oblige. The brief was to come up with an innovative recipe using British Turkey and a minimum of two other Red Tractor products, and the theme they gave me was ‘Best of British’. The recipe also had to be healthy and delicious!
Talk about a tough challenge! It was time for me to get my thinking cap on…I thought of lots of lovely British Turkey ideas: pies, sandwiches, a stew or some kind of roast, but none of them were particularly innovative…
So I decided to do some ‘research’ and look at a few lists of favourite British foods on the internet…and they were full of dishes such as spaghetti bolognese, paella, chilli con carne, fajitas and of course tikka masala! It struck me that one of the best things about being British is the way we embrace other cultures and recipes and create hybrid recipes such as spaghetti bolognese or chicken tikka masala, which are influenced by ideas from abroad, but just as British as a Sunday roast. A dish most certainly doesn’t have to be ‘meat and two veg’ to be British!
So with this in mind, I have created a dish that reflects our very British passion for fusion food: Tikka Masala is an Anglo Indian dish, whilst meatballs are a hugely popular import from Italy via America – the result: Turkey Tikka Masala Meatballs!
These Turkey Tikka Masala Meatballs would be a great quick and easy midweek meal in their own right, served with white or brown rice and maybe a little Indian-style side salad. But I wanted to go one step further and create a bit of a feast, using some of the lovely Red Tractor produce I had picked up from the supermarket. So I have also made a simplified version of another Anglo-Indian classic: Bombay Potatoes, using some delicious Red Tractor Cornish new potatoes, instead of the usual ‘old’ potatoes, Red Tractor red onions and some wonderful Red Tractor tomatoes from Kent.
Finally, I created a simple, yet super tasty salad using the rest of the Red Tractor tomatoes and a Red Tractor courgette. If you haven’t tried raw courgette in a salad yet, you have been missing out – it has the most delicious flavour and paired with the tomatoes and a touch of lemon and mint it makes an amazingly refreshing salad – the perfect contrast to the spicy flavours of the tikka masala and bombay potatoes.
If you really want to go to town, you could also throw in some naan breads and maybe a pickle, chutney or raita and you have yourself a party! I absolutely love meals like this that you can dress down for midweek and dress up for the weekend or a dinner party.
If you like my Turkey Tikka Masala Meatballs with Bombay New Potatoes…
…you might also like:
Turkey Tikka Masala Meatballs with Bombay New Potatoes
Ingredients
Turkey Meatball Tikka Masala
- 500 g turkey mince
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon chilli
- 2 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 2 cm ginger grated
- 200 ml coconut milk (half a standard sized tin)
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander chopped
Bombay New Potatoes
- 400 g new potatoes
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 small tomatoes quartered
Raw Courgette Salad
- 1 large (or 2 medium) courgette diced finely
- 4 small tomatoes diced finely
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons mint
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Start by cooking the new potatoes in boiling water for 20 minutes, then drain and allow to steam dry.
- While the potatoes are cooking, make the courgette salad by simply combing all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl, then set aside to allow the flavours to develop.
- Next, make the meatballs: combine the turkey mince, 1 tablespoon garam masala, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and then shape into 20 small meatballs. Grill the meatballs on a medium heat for 10 minutes, turning once.
- While the meatballs are cooking, make the masala sauce: put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan with the sliced onions and cook gently over a low heat for 5 minutes. Next add the cumin, paprika, garam masala, chilli, garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute, before adding the 200ml (7oz) coconut milk, all the tomato puree and salt. Allow to bubble for 5 minutes until thickened slightly.
- When the meatballs are ready, plop them in the sauce and allow to bubble for a further 5-10 minutes, spooning the sauce over the meatballs to coat them.
- While the masala sauce is bubbling, quickly make the bombay potatoes: put 1 tablespoon olive oil and the diced onion in a non-stick frying pan and cook on a low heat for 3 minutes until slightly softened. Next add the cooked new potatoes and turn up the heat to brown the potatoes and onions. When the potatoes and onions have browned, add the mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric and tomatoes and allow to cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down slightly. Stir frequently to ensure the flavours get mixed evenly and nothing burns.
- Finally sprinkle a little coriander over the turkey meatball masala and bombay potatoes and serve, together with the courgette salad and any other additions you would like, such as naan bread, mango chutney, raita or lime pickle.
Notes
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Disclosure
This recipe for Turkey Tikka Masala Meatballs with Bombay New Potatoes is my entry into the #TurkeyTractorChallenge competition, run by British Turkey and Red Tractor.
To find out more about British Turkey go to www.britishturkey.co.uk
To find out more about Red Tractor go to www.redtractor.org.uk
Find out how I did in the #TurkeyTractorChallenge competition here >>> British Turkey Awards
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Tikka Masala is one of my favourite Indian dishes, but Turkey is not a meat that I have seen used to make it! Interesting take on it, Eb….. It certainly looks tasty!
I love that none of the British favourites are actually British dishes though…..
Eb Gargano says
No me neither! So I thought it fitted the innovative part of the brief perfectly! And it worked really really well. There were a few ‘British’ British favourites, but they were in the minority. And actually dishes like spag bol and tikka masala ARE really British dishes – I know spag bol doesn’t exist in Italy and I’m fairly sure tikka masala is more British than Indian!! But it is really one of the things I love about being British (I am British despite my very un-British sounding name!!) – our love of absorbing and adapting flavours from all over the world!! Thanks for your kind comments. 🙂 Eb x
Corina says
What a delicious meal! I love making meatballs as they are so easy and they are one of the things I can usually get my children to eat. This doesn’t look too spicy so I’m pretty confident they would both eat it. I also love the courgette and tomato salad and it’s nice I inspired you with my spiralised one! Thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Corina! This curry is really child friendly – it’s not too spicy at all – and my kids really loved it. Meatballs instantly make anything more exciting for kids and the coconut milk makes it slightly sweet too – making it perfect for my kids’ sweet tooth (and kids everywhere, I should think!!). And yes thanks for your courgette salad inspiration – it makes such a perfect refreshing contrast to the curry and spicy potatoes. Eb x
Martin @ The Why Chef says
I’ve always wondered if turkey meatballs would work in a curry, but shied away from it as I weren’t brave enough! This one looks amazing, so I’m super keen to give this a try now! Plus I was saying to Mrs Why just last night how I love coconut milk curries! I usually just make mine with blended tomato or a vague roux of some sort!
Eb Gargano says
Oh they so do, Martin. You should try it – be brave! 😉 Coconut milk curries are awesome and the coconut milk/spice/turkey combo is just brilliant here, they all really complement each other. I do like tomato based curries too or sometimes I just use water or stock – it just depends on what else I have going on! I have even been know to throw a tin of tomatoes AND a tin of coconut milk into the mix!! Thanks for your kind comments 🙂 Eb x
jenny paulin says
this looks very tasty and i love the addition of the potatoes too x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jenny – it is very tasty!! The bombay potatoes are so quick and easy to do and make a nice change from rice 🙂 Eb x
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
Eb This recipe looks good. I’m sure if I can fit it in with my work cooking. I will get some serious brownie points from my boys. It’s the kind of meal they love. Economical too that has to be a bonus Ive noticed my food bill has risen significantly while both boys are back at home.
Jacqui x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Jacqui 🙂 I would love to know what you think if you make it! You are right about it being economical – always a bonus!! My food bill has gone up significantly since I started blogging – think I need to start writing more posts about frugal food and using your leftovers!! Eb x
Fran Back With a Bump says
Ooh I like this! We eat turkey mince quite a bit as it’s very lean so this would make a change! #brillblogposts
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Fran. If you like turkey, I am sure you will like this – the turkey mince goes really nicely with the curry spices. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Eb x
Tim Coates says
We made this last week, lovely taste and so simple to make…~
Quick question… is there a reason that a 400ml tin of coconut milk is needed? (or did I just miss a step somewhere? =) )
Eb Gargano says
So pleased you liked it Tim! And thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you liked it – means a lot 🙂 Good point about the coconut milk – I guess I think in terms of what I buy (I’ve never seen a 200ml tin of coconut milk available in the shops…) and how I cook – as in I might decide the sauce is a little too thick and want to add an extra splash of coconut milk into the sauce to loosen it, but yes you are right that looks a bit strange on my recipe card. I will amend it. 🙂 Eb x
Tim Coates says
Not a problem, I was just a little puzzled after making it thinking why do I have the milk left over! 🙂 (Followed by… what am I going to do with it!)
Eb Gargano says
Drink it? ?
Andrea says
Could you use chicken instead of turkey? And could you add cubed potatoes in with the meatballs and sauce to make it a one pot meal?
Eb Gargano says
Yes, absolutely! To both those questions 😀 Love the idea of making this a one pot. Eb 🙂