2 lbs ground beef (you can use chicken or turkey too)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic – grated
2 tbsp chopped cilantro or mint
Salt and black pepper to taste
For the sauce:
1 lb canned chopped tomatoes
2 fresh tomatoes, quartered
1 heap tbsp harissa paste
2 onion, chopped
2 green chili, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped, optional
1 green pepper – sliced
2 tbsp cooking cream
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix the meatball ingredients and make equal size meatballs.
In a dutch oven/pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the meatballs in batches and set these aside once ready. This should be a short process as you just want to brown the meatballs.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pot and fry the chopped onion and green chilies for 5 minutes.
Mix in the garlic and cook further for about 30 seconds or just until fragrant.
Add in the harissa paste, cumin, coriander and fennel and cook for 2 minutes.
At this point, you can add the smoked paprika, fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, 1 cup of water and salt.
Once the gravy comes to a boil, add the meatballs. Cook for 10-15 minutes till gravy thickens.
Mix in the peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Lastly add the cooking cream and sprinkle some cilantro/mint over the stew.
