Chicken Masala Balls

This is one recipe I have been wanting to blog this past month. I first tasted these delicious chicken balls at a friend’s place, whose mother-in-law is a cook par excellence. My queries on its preparation made Chandralekha Aunty invite me into her kitchen to share this recipe along with another dish, an Andhra sweet delicacy which I will also blog about soon.

Chicken Masala Balls

Boneless chicken pieces, onions, fresh coriander leaves, green and dry red chillis, ginger, garlic, cashewnuts and roasted spices are ground to smooth paste and shaped into bite sized balls and deep fried (can be grilled too). The grilled balls are absolutely perfect on their own and offer a healthy alternative but nothing to beat the crisp deep fried version..:)

Chicken masala balls have a hot and spicy aroma that fills the room while being cooked and a flavor that makes these party appetizers almost impossible to resist. I’ve made this recipe twice these past few days and I can tell you, it’s a keeper, guaranteed to add flavor to a festive day like Kanuma. Serve as a snack/appetizer or as a side dish with rice and curry.

Chicken Masala Balls Recipe

Recipe Source: Mrs. Chandralekha Sunkara

Prep & Cooking: 30-40 mts

Makes approx 30 balls

Cuisine: Andhra

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Ingredients:

1/2 kg boneless chicken pieces, cleaned and washed

1/4 kg onions finely sliced

8-10 fresh green chillis

5-6 dry red chillis (adjust according to your choice)

15-20 garlic flakes

3″ piece ginger chopped

small bunch coriander leaves, chopped

4 tbsps coriander seeds

1 1/2 tbsps cumin seeds

2″ cinnamon stick

3 green cardamoms

5-6 cloves

20 cashewnuts

salt to taste

oil for deep frying

1 Heat a tbsp of oil in cooking vessel. Add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamom, red chillis and cashewnuts and stir for a minute till a nice aroma emanates the whole kitchen. Be careful not to burn the spices. Cool.2 First grind the roasted ingredients along with ginger, garlic and green chillis to a coarse paste. Next add the chopped raw onions, coriander leaves, chicken and salt and grind further to form a smooth paste like shown in the picture above.2 Add a tbsp of oil to the ground mixture and mix thoroughly before shaping into small lemon sized balls.3 Heat oil for deep frying. Once its piping hot, reduce flame to medium and place these balls in the oil and fry them to a crisp, golden brown color.4Serve hot with tomato sauce or green chutney.

Thank you, Aunty for sharing your wonderful family recipe!

Note:

The green and red chillis can be adjusted according to your spice level. The chicken balls can also be grilled for a more healthy version.