Meat and brown rice balls in sauce
I love to make meatballs and play around with the recipe. This time I added rice to the mix, making the meatballs even more filling and satisfying. The brown rice is healthy, which is great, especially when I’m making them for the kids. Very tender and tasty.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
500 grams ground beef / ground chicken breast
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
(which makes a little over 1 cup of cooked rice)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.5 cups boiling water
1 carrot
1 onion
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 egg
1 Tbsp chicken bouillon
Ground black pepper
Salt (if needed, to taste)
For the sauce:
1 medium onion
1 small container of tomato paste (100 grams)
2 – 3 cups water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chicken bouillon
Ground black pepper
Salt (if necessary, to taste)
Preparation:
1. To prepare the rice:
Heat a pan with oil and add the rice, stirring until all the grains are coated in oil. Add the water and 1/2 tsp salt, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook for 45 minutes, turn off the heat, and leave covered for another 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
2. Chop the onion. Add 2 Tbsp of oil to a pan and add the onion and sauté until golden. Grate the carrot, add the veggies to the meat and then add the rice and the other ingredients.
3. Form balls and refrigerate for an hour.
4. To prepare the sauce:
Dice the onion. Heat a large pan with 2-3 Tbsp of oil and sauté the onion until golden. Add the other ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
5. Two options:
Add the meatballs to the sauce as they are. The sauce should reach 3/4 of the pan and cook for 25 minutes, gently shaking the pan occasionally.
A second option:
Fry the meatballs for a couple of minutes on each side and then add to the sauce and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Good to know…
You can make the meatballs a few hours beforehand and keep refrigerated. You can also use 1 cup of white prepared rice instead of brown rice.