Pasta With Indian Spiced Meat Balls

Do you remember the "Queen" movie, where Kangana Raunat ate Italian food and exclaimed that as too bland and that it needed a little burnt ginger and garlic??? My situation is exactly the same. If you go for fast foods in India, you will not have any complains because they had prepared the menu according to the Indian taste buds...but everywhere else, its really poses a bit of problem. In Abidjan, I am not satisfied by the pizza they serve, as to me they are too bland, so I tell them to serve us an extra chili dip or sauce which I spread on my pizza and eat.

Last month, when we went to the beach I did the same, because African food is also not that spicy. I literally took a giant portion of that extra spicy chilly sauce on my plate and rubbed my finger on that generously before licking that too religiously. I got so much involved in it that my sister in law had to shake me up with her hand because I could not listen to her when she was calling me, and she told me that, it was not chutney that I was licking...and I should stop taking so much spicy food because it can deteriorate my health. Then she went on telling me, how one of her friend who used to eat more chilies than me ended up in hospital for 3 months for stomach infection. I was terrified....I was petrified...but how can I live without spicy food??? Its my life line. Without green chilies my thaali /plate is incomplete.

My husband stares at me in utter astonishment when I bite into green chilies along with anything, from simple aloo bhaja / Bengali style fried potatoes to laziz Biriyani. I just can't imagine how can anyone eat mashed potato without mashing a green chili into it or eat begun bhaja or fried eggplant without biting a raw green chili along with the course! You can't imagine my feeling when I reap a part of the chapati and roll it with some fried eggplant, put it in my mouth and then take the raw green chili and dip it in some salt and take a bite from that!! My oily fingers glazed up with the dripping oil from the eggplant and dusty with some salt, smells delicious...it truly becomes finger licking good!!Its profound...the joy of eating in this style is unique and too much satisfying!!This reminds me of another incident when I was under treatment for my slipped disk, and the doctor gave me pain killers. He told me to not to take too spicy food as it can lead to stomach ache. But I forgot that spicy food for me is too spicy in general scale, and that time I ended up being admitted in hospital, and the doctor had to push one bottle of saline with medicine into my vein. I gave up eating spices for 1 month I guess...and then I was back to the business again.:):)
I love pastas...and I love the Italian flavor in it, but when eating in home, I can't help myself but put extra spice in that. Today I am sharing one of my favorite pasta dish, pasta with meatballs with a spicy twist.:) Hope, you will enjoy it too.

Pasta With Indian Spice Meat Balls

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the meat balls:

• 1 cup minced meat of your choice - I used lamb
• 2 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 small onion - grated
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp crushed fresh black peppercorns
• 1/4 th of a small bunch of fresh coriander leaves - chopped finely
• 1 tbsp bread crumbs
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp green chili paste
• 2 tsp ginger - garlic paste
• salt
• 1 tsp oil

For The Sauce:

• 2-3 ripe tomatoes - pureed (canned tomatoes work better, in that case use 1 can)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp dried oregano - fresh will do too
• 2 tsp dried basil - fresh is always better
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 green chilies - paste
• salt

For the Pasta:

• 1/4 th cup freshly grated mozzarella
• spaghetti of your choice - I used tagliatelle

Method:

• First of all make the meat balls. In a large bowl incorporate every ingredients listed under the meatball section. Mix with your hands so that each and every ingredient gets to know every one. We will bake the balls, so the kneading should be good so that they don't break in that process. However do not over mix, so that everything becomes mushy.
• When the mixing is done, cover and leave the bowl for 30 minutes to 1 hours, so that they can absorb and develop the flavor.
• After that, take a spoon and scoop a little of the mixed meat. Make a round shape using both of your palms and make sure the ball is well shaped and there is no crack, or otherwise they will break in the baking process.
• Pre-heat your oven to 300F. Arrange the balls in your baking tray and drizzle some olive oil on each of them. It will keep them moist. Bake the balls for 7-8 minutes. Then keep aside.
• Take a sauce pan and heat the olive oil in it. Sauté until the garlic starts to brown.
• Now add the canned / pureed tomato and let it simmer. Cook until the tomato dries a bit and starts to release oil.
• Now add the salt, dried oregano, basil, green chili paste and red pepper flakes. Cook till the sauce reaches your desired consistency. If your sauce tastes a little tangy, then add a little sugar to it.
• When the sauce is done, add the meatballs into it. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, put cover and put off the flame.
• Now prepare your spaghetti and take them out in a bowl. Add some of the tomato sauce and mix properly.
• Transfer the mixed spaghetti to a bowl, put some meatballs with sauce over it and add a generous amount of grated mozzarella.