Danish meatballs in curry sauce (boller i karry)

Aren't those meatballs cute and bright? It's a popular Danish family dish, boller i karry or meatballs in curry sauce. According to various sources, the dish was created already back in 1840s, when curry powder mixes were first introduced to Danish customers. The popular Danish meatballs were then served with a mildly (!!!) curry-flavoured sauce and rice instead of potatoes - a huge novelty and very exotic back then.

I remember the dish well from my year in Denmark as an exchange student back in 1992-1993, and I liked it. Since visiting Denmark - and my host family - last November, I've been cooking Danish food much more frequently again. With three small kids, it's inevitable that I'm also making so-called "family foods" more often, and boller i karry definitely qualifies as comfort food/family food. Adjust the amount of curry powder depending on the palate of your kids - and remember to use mild Indian-style curry powder, not a spicy or Thai style.

Danish meatballs with curried sauce
(Lihapallid karrikastmes)

Serves 4



Meatballs:
500 g pork or mixed (pork + beef) mince
3 Tbsp flour
100 ml (7 Tbsp) milk
1 egg
1 small onion, finely chopped
salt and black pepper

Curry sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
2-4 tsp mild Indian-style curry powder
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp flour
about 600 ml bouillon (= the water you boiled the meatballs in)
100 ml single or double cream
1 Granny Smith apple, coarsely grated
salt and black pepper

Start by making meatballs. Mix all ingredients, then form into large meatballs (I took heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture).

Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water, bring into a boil and season with salt (you can throw in some bay leaves and allspice berries as well, if you wish). Gently drop the meatballs into the "bouillon" and cook for 7-8 minutes, until fully cooked. Remove from the stock with a slotted spoon and put aside on a plate.

Make the curried sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the curry powder. Stir, then add the onion and fry gently for 5-7 minutes. Stir in the flour, cook for a minute or two, then add about 2 or 2,5 cups of "meatball bouillon". Stir carefully, so no lumps remain. Add the cream, then the grated apple. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then return the meatballs to the sauce and cook until the meatballs are piping hot.

Serve with boiled long-grain rice and some vegetables of your choice.

Similar recipes elsewhere:
Meatballs in spicy curry sauce  (low-carb version) by Josephine Malene @ A Tasty Love Story
Beef meatballs with curried banana sauce by Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet
Danish Meatballs in Curry with Rice (video recipe) @ Scandinavian Today
Boller i karry or curried meatballs by Sandra @ Sandras Kitchen
Danish meatballs in curry @ Paul De Lancey

More Danish recipes here on Nami-Nami:
Brunsviger aka soft cinnamon butter bread
Koldskål aka Danish buttermilk soup
Risalamande aka Rice and Almond Pudding with Warm Cherry Compote
Danish potato salad
Kokosmakroner aka Danish coconut macaroons

More meatballs recipes here on Nami-Nami:
Saucy Asian meatballs
Swedish meatballs
Hakk-kotletid aka Estonian meatballs
Dagmar's spicy meatballs
Lovely Greek meatballs with chilli sauce, mustard and oregano
Zucchini meatballs
Chorizo meatballs