Ball Curry

Before you start

• Soak the bread in the milk for 5 minutes, then squeeze it almost dry before working it into the mince. Wet bread makes balls that fall apart.
• Chill the shaped balls for 20 minutes before they go into the gravy; cold balls hold together far better.
• Have the gravy simmering before you start dropping the balls in, so they set on contact rather than sitting in warm liquid.

Method

1. Mix the mince with the squeezed bread, beaten egg, grated onion, half the ginger-garlic paste, the chopped green chilli, 2 tbsp coriander leaves, the black pepper and 1 tsp salt.Mix with your hand until it just comes together. Overworking makes the balls rubbery.
2. Roll into balls the size of a walnut, about 20 of them, and chill 20 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a wide pan and cook the sliced onion until soft and gold, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Add the remaining ginger-garlic paste and fry 2 minutes.
5. Add the chilli powder, turmeric, coriander and cumin powders with a splash of water and fry 2 minutes until the oil takes on colour.
6. Add the tomato and cook until it collapses and the oil separates at the edges, 7 to 8 minutes.
7. Pour in the water, add the potato and salt, and bring to a steady simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Lower the balls in one at a time. Do not stir for the first 5 minutes; shake the pan instead.Stirring too early is how ball curry becomes mince curry.
9. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, turning the balls gently once, until they are firm and cooked through.
10. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer very gently 5 more minutes. Check the salt, scatter the remaining coriander leaves and serve with yellow coconut rice.Never let it boil after the coconut milk goes in.

Storage

Keeps 3 days refrigerated and tastes better the next day. Reheat gently in a pan, not a microwave, so the balls stay whole. Freezes for a month.