Meatballs are small balls made from minced meat mixed with rice, vegetables, bread and other ingredients. There are analogues of them in the cuisines of different countries, including Asian and Indian. Cooking is quite simple - just mix all the ingredients, stew in a suitable sauce or bake in the oven.
It is necessary
- - minced meat or fish;
- - an egg;
- - onion;
- - carrots and tomatoes;
- - tomato paste;
- - sour cream, cream;
- - broth;
- - water;
- - flour or starch;
- - White bread;
- - rice;
- - butter and vegetable oil;
- - garlic;
- - salt and spices to taste.
Instructions
Step 1
For the preparation of meatballs, minced meat is usually used, but a tasty product can also be prepared from fish, the main thing is not to come across bones. For juiciness, add onion, pre-boiled rice, raw eggs, bread soaked in water and spices to the minced meat. In some countries, edible balls are also prepared with a small amount of prunes, cheese and even mushrooms. Usually meatballs are stewed in tomato, creamy or spicy sauce, which makes them even more juicy and tasty, add different vegetables, flour or starch to it for a viscous consistency.
Step 2
To prepare meatballs according to the traditional Russian recipe, rinse the rice and boil it until half cooked. If you have parboiled rice in bags, you do not need to boil it at all, but use it right away. Mix it with minced pork, which should be twice the amount of rice. Make meatballs with your hands - balls with a diameter of 4-5 cm. To make them easier to mold, not stick to your hands and not fall apart during the cooking process, periodically moisten your palms in water. Heat the vegetable oil in a thick-walled saucepan, fry the chopped onion in it, add the tomato, sour cream, salt, dilute the resulting sauce with water and let it boil well. Dip each of the meatballs in flour and gently dip in the boiling sauce. When everyone is in the pan, reduce the heat, cover, simmer for about 20 minutes.
Step 3
If you want to indulge yourself with a more spicy and unusual dish, make minced lamb meatballs. To do this, mix 500 g of this product with the pulp of white bread soaked in water, chopped onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic passed through a press. Add raw egg, salt and pepper to taste, thyme and parsley. Add 100 ml of water and knead the minced meat well. After that, form balls of the same size from it, fry in olive oil until golden brown and transfer to a saucepan.
Step 4
Do not rush to pour out the oil from the pan in which the meatballs were cooked - it will be needed for the sauce. Fry a finely chopped onion in it with a small amount of any mushrooms, add half a finely chopped chili pepper, and after 10 minutes - a tablespoon of flour to give the sauce the necessary viscosity. After a couple of minutes, pour in ½ cup of dry red wine, and when it is half evaporated - 100 ml of water and 2 diced tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil, pour the sauce into a saucepan with meatballs and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat. Sprinkle with parsley at the end.
Step 5
Very tender meatballs are obtained in a creamy sauce. And if you prepare such a minced chicken dish, it is quite suitable for little children. Boil rice in salted water until almost cooked, mix it with minced meat in a 1: 2 ratio, add a raw egg and finely chopped onion. Form small balls by wetting your hands in water. If the dish is intended for adults, pre-fry the meatballs in a small amount of vegetable oil. Meanwhile, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a frying pan, fry the flour in it and gradually dilute it with 200 ml of cream or milk. When the sauce comes to a boil, salt it, add paprika or black pepper if necessary, and then dip the meatballs into it. Simmer for 15 minutes. As a side dish for meatballs, you can cook mashed potatoes or pasta.
Step 6
Minced fish meatballs are prepared in a similar way, but to diversify the menu, you can bake them in the oven. Chop the onion finely and sauté in butter for 10 minutes. Mix 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sour cream and a handful of bread crumbs, add a pound of minced fish, a raw egg, ground pepper, thyme and other favorite spices, fried onions. Form small meatballs from the prepared mixture, put them in a fireproof dish greased with vegetable oil and put in an oven preheated to 150 ° C for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: fry the onions in olive oil, add 0.5 cups of dry white wine and bring to a boil, pour in a glass of fish or vegetable broth and cook for 10 minutes. At the end, put 1 teaspoon of mustard and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sour cream. Season and salt. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and bake them for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh herbs at the end.
Step 7
Very tender meatballs are made from minced meat with the addition of cottage cheese or soft cheese. To prepare them, mix 500 g of minced meat and 100 g of fresh cottage cheese, add to the mixture a raw egg, a slice of white bread soaked in milk, 1 teaspoon of mustard, herbs, finely chopped onions and your favorite spices. Salt everything and mix well, beating a little. Form the meatballs, roll them in flour and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. For the sauce, fry the onions and carrots, a couple of minced garlic cloves, add the peeled and diced tomatoes, then diluted in water 1 tbsp. a spoonful of starch. Pour in a glass of broth, bring to a boil and salt. Add the fried meatballs and simmer for about 15 minutes, covered.
Step 8
Meatballs are usually served as an independent dish. As a side dish, you can stew vegetables: broccoli, kohlrabi or savoy cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes, etc. In many kitchens, boiled or baked potatoes, tender mashed potatoes, boiled rice are served as a side dish. Spaghetti and other types of pasta will also go well with such a dish.
