Meet Your New Sunday Sauce: These Pork Meatballs in Cashew Curry Come Together in Under an Hour

The pork meatballs are made with pork belly for that added fattiness and flavor. The key to cooking them is the ratio of meat and bread.  Pork belly is a cut of boneless meat that comes from the belly of a pig. It adds fattiness and flavor to many dishes. You can find it in pretty much all the major supermarkets or butcher shops. Cashew flour is gluten-free and commonly found in specialty grocery stores.

Heating whole spices helps add more flavor to any dish. You can saute store-bought curry powder to make it more aromatic. Another suggestion is to store the leftover meatballs in an airtight container. They can last up to three days in the refrigerator. Now that you’ve learned some tips and tricks, here’s what you need to prepare this dish.

For the meatballs:

• 3 (1/2-inch-thick) white bread slices (1 ounce each), crusts removed
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 pounds of ground pork
• 8 ounces pork belly, finely chopped
• 3 medium shallots, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1 small Thai chile, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons white pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons canola oil

For the curry:

• 1 medium-sized white onion, roughly chopped (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans of diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons cashew flour (see Note)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Fresh parsley leaves and chopped unsalted raw cashews, for garnish

Meatball preparation:

Start by combining the bread and milk in a shallow baking dish. Let the bread soak for about a minute. Then, form a paste from the mixture and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Put parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Chop the pork and pork belly in a food processor, combine well, and put it in a large bowl. Add the bread paste, shallots, garlic, Thai chile, sugar, fish sauce, white pepper, salt, and chili powder, and combine everything. Divide the meat mixture into 1 1/2-ounce portions and roll the meatballs. Put them on the baking sheet, cover, and set aside.

Cashew curry preparation:

For the cashew curry, you’ll need to blend the onion, garlic, and ginger until smooth. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low and add the curry powder. Keep on stirring for about 30 seconds. Stir in the onion mixture, diced tomatoes, five tablespoons of butter, cashew flour, fish sauce, and sugar. Cook while stirring occasionally, and add some salt to taste. Voilá!

Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook the meatballs while turning them occasionally until you get them browned on all sides. Once they’re ready, transfer them to the preheated oven and bake them until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 160°F. Add the cream and the remaining two tablespoons of butter to the curry. Pour it over the meatballs and top it off with some parsley and cashews.