Gordon Ramsay’s meatballs in coconut broth are soft, spiced and simmered in a fragrant coconut curry of coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, cardamom and lime, ready in about 30 minutes. Golf ball-sized beef meatballs that soak up every bit of that aromatic broth. Serves 2-4.
This recipe appears in the Ultimate Cookery Course, where Ramsay writes: “Asian cuisine uses coconut milk to enrich a sauce, in much the same way as classic French cooking uses cream, but of course it isn’t as heavy.” On YouTube he calls it “a delicious way of eating an old-fashioned meatball and bringing it into the 21st century.”
The trick is the milk-soaked breadcrumbs. Ramsay explains that “adding milk to the breadcrumbs lightens the meatballs and means you shouldn’t need to bind them with eggs.” Without egg, the texture stays soft and loose so the coconut broth can soak into the meat as it simmers. Add an egg and you get a dense, rubbery ball that the broth bounces off.
Gordon Ramsay Meatballs in Coconut Broth
Course: DinnerCuisine: Asian, BritishDifficulty: Easy2-4
servings15
minutes20
minutes480
kcal35
minutesFrom the Ultimate Cookery Course: beef meatballs lightened with milk-soaked breadcrumbs, simmered in a fragrant coconut broth with lemongrass, ginger, cardamom and lime. No egg in the mix, so they stay soft and absorb the broth.
Ingredients
- For the meatballs:
1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
Olive oil, for frying
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
500g (1 lb) beef mince
75g (2.5 oz) fresh breadcrumbs
3-4 tbsp milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the coconut broth:
2 tsp coriander seeds
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1-2 tsp dried chilli flakes, to taste
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, bashed and cut into batons
5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
400ml (14 fl oz) chicken stock
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Directions
- Cook the aromatics: Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic, season and fry for 5 minutes until soft and lightly coloured. Add the chilli flakes after a minute or two. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Mix the meatballs: Place the beef mince in a bowl and season. In a separate bowl, moisten the breadcrumbs with the milk. Stir the breadcrumbs and cooled onion mixture into the mince and combine well. No egg needed.
- Shape: With wet hands, roll into golf ball-sized meatballs. Transfer to a greased plate and chill for 30 minutes until firm.
- Brown the meatballs: Heat a little oil in a clean pan. Brown the meatballs for 4-5 minutes, turning frequently until coloured on all sides.
- Build the broth: Add the coriander seeds, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, chilli flakes, lemongrass and ginger to the pan. Stir until aromatic. Pour in the chicken stock and coconut milk. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer: Cook for 8-12 minutes until the broth is flavourful and thickened and the meatballs are cooked through. They should feel slightly springy when pressed.
- Finish and serve: Add the lime zest and juice. Ladle generously into bowls, making sure each gets plenty of broth.
FAQs
Why no egg in these meatballs?
Ramsay is clear about this in both the cookbook and the video: “Adding milk to the breadcrumbs lightens the meatballs and means you shouldn’t need to bind them with eggs.” The milk-soaked breadcrumbs hold the meat together while keeping the texture soft and open.
That open texture is the whole point. The coconut broth needs to soak into the meatball as it simmers. An egg would seal the surface and make them dense. In the video he says a good meatball should be “soft and rich in the centre,” not bouncy.
Why golf ball size and not smaller?
Ramsay warns against this: “Don’t make them too small or they’ll dry out.” A golf ball-sized meatball has enough mass to stay juicy in the centre even after 12 minutes of simmering. Small meatballs cook through too fast and turn dry in the broth.
The larger size also means the outside absorbs the coconut and spice flavours while the centre stays beefy. You get both in every bite.
How is this different from the Italian meatballs?
Completely different dish. The Italian meatballs from Bread Street Kitchen use beef and pork, four fresh herbs, and braise in tomato sauce for 45 minutes. They’re served with bread.
These are all beef, seasoned with chilli flakes only, and simmered in coconut milk with Asian spices for just 10 minutes. Ramsay calls it “bringing an old-fashioned meatball into the 21st century.” Same base technique, completely different flavour world.
Can you freeze these?
In the video, Ramsay says “they’re just as good cooked from frozen.” He recommends doubling the recipe so you have a frozen batch ready. Freeze the browned meatballs before adding to the broth. When you want them, make a fresh batch of broth and drop the frozen meatballs straight in, adding a few extra minutes to the simmer time.
The UCC cookbook also has a tip on leftover coconut milk: freeze it in ice cube trays. It looks curdled after thawing but the flavour is fine.
What goes well alongside this?
Steamed jasmine rice is the natural match, soaking up the extra broth. The flavours are essentially a Thai-style curry, so anything you’d serve with a coconut curry works here. A green bean salad with a sharp dressing cuts through the richness of the coconut nicely. This is the only one of five meatball recipes from his cookbooks that uses coconut milk, and the flavour is nothing like the Italian or Turkish versions.
