Boller i Karry
Poached pork meatballs simmered in a mild, creamy curry sauce, served over rice - a dish that shows up in nearly every Danish household.
- prep
- 25 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total
- 1 h
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
Boller i karry is Danish comfort food inherited from the colonial spice trade: soft poached meatballs folded into a curry sauce that is more about depth of flavour than heat.
Poaching the meatballs in water instead of frying them is what keeps them pale and tender against the sauce, rather than crusted and competing with it.
Part of our 20 best Danish recipes list.
method
Mix the pork, grated onion, egg, flour, milk and salt into a soft, light meatball mixture; shape into small balls about 3cm across.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a gentle simmer and poach the meatballs in batches for 8-10 minutes, until just cooked through; set aside.
Melt the butter in a pot, soften the chopped onion and carrots for 5 minutes, then stir in the curry powder and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute more, then whisk in the stock gradually until smooth.
Simmer the sauce 10 minutes until it thickens slightly, then stir in the cream.
Add the poached meatballs to the sauce and simmer gently for 5 minutes to warm through and absorb flavour.
Serve over steamed rice.
chef's tips
- Poaching the meatballs in water rather than frying them keeps them pale and tender, which is the traditional texture here - browning them would fight the mild curry sauce.
- Blooming the curry powder in butter for a full minute before adding liquid is what keeps the sauce from tasting raw and dusty.