It’s based on my Dad’s Chinese curry sauce recipe, but with a few adjustments here and there, the main one being using meatballs instead of minced beef. I remember eating it loads growing up. The curry sauce has got a lovely smooth rich, savoury tang to it and it works perfectly with metballs.
📋 What do we need?
For the meatballs
My dad makes his version with minced beef (not formed into meatballs), or sometimes chicken, and his version HAS to be served with hard-boiled eggs.
For the Chinese Takeaway Style Curry Sauce
👩🍳PRO TIP You can easily make this gluten free by ensuring you use gluten free stock, gluten free bread for the breacrumbs and tamari instead of the soy sauce. If I’m totally honest, I prefer it with hard-boiled eggs too, but they just don’t look as delicious as a runny soft-boiled egg!
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post. Spiced with curry powder (use mild if you’re not into hot curries), turmeric and Chinese five-spice, it’s got bags of flavour. I like to brown my meatballs, then add the spices, and then finish cooking the meatballs in the curry sauce. The sauce is made up of a mixture of beef AND chicken stock (my dad’s stipulation - I haven’t tried it with just one type of stock), plus milk, so they’re lovely and tender.
🍽️ What to serve it with
I served my meatball curry with boiled rice, but it also works great with, Egg fried rice or even cauliflower rice for a lighter alternative. I also serve it up with a sprinkling of fresh coriander and some fresh chillis and chilli flakes for a kick of heat. My Dad would also stipulate that he had to have his curry sauce with hard-boiled eggs!
Cook hard boiled eggs for serving
If you want to go with hard-boiled eggs, simply cover the eggs (large eggs) in cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. If you want that runny-yolk-soft-boiled-egg, then boil for exactly 6 minutes. Once cooked, drain and put the eggs straight into ice water for a few minutes to cool. This really helps with removing the shell. Tap the eggs gently, then roll to crush the shell, before carefully peeling it off. I tend to keep the chilli out when I’m cooking it for the whole family, then I’ll serve it with a few chilli flakes and a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce for those who like it a little spicier!
🍲 More AMAZING Meatball Recipes:
If you like meatballs with curry, how about this Beef Kofta - served with Saag Aloo as an alternative to rice. Stay updated with new recipes!Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos). This recipe was first published on January 10th 2018. Updated Nov 2021 with a video, improvements to the recipe and for housekeeping reasons.
🥡 More Chinese Takeaway Inspired Recipes
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
