Flaming Thai Balls—Dinner for 2
Try this unique and flavorful Spicy Thai Meatball dish, made with ground beef, cilantro, garlic, red curry paste and a sweet sauce of coconut milk, lime juice and brown sugar. Serve over cooked jasmine rice for a complete meal that is sure to be memorable.
Meal Type
Dinner
Cuisine
Thai
Servings
2
Food Stars
Ground Beef
Red Curry Paste
Health
Variations
Diets
Variations
Do This With That Stuff
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, cilantro, fish sauce, red curry paste, ginger, and black pepper
- Mix together until all ingredients are evenly distributed
- Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
- Add the meatballs to the skillet and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes
- Transfer the meatballs to a baking dish
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, brown sugar, and lime juice
- Pour the mixture over the meatballs
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes
- Serve the meatballs over cooked jasmine rice.
Obvious and Not So Obvious Variations and Pairings
🍬 Sweet
Increase the brown sugar to 1/3 cup, add 1 tablespoon honey, replace the fish sauce with soy sauce, and add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
🧂 Salty
Add more fish sauce, increase the amount of red curry paste, add a pinch of cayenne pepper, or add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.
🍋 Sour
Increase the lime juice to 3 tablespoons, add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar, and reduce the brown sugar to 1 tablespoon.
☕ Bitter
Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, replace the fish sauce with soy sauce, add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, or reduce the sugar and replace with a tablespoon of vinegar.
🍄 Umami
Add 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, replace fish sauce with soy sauce, add 1 teaspoon of mushroom powder.
🌶️ Spicy
Increase red curry paste to 1.5 tsp, add 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, replace fish sauce with soy sauce, add 1/2 tsp chili flakes.
🍸 Alcoholic
- A dry Riesling: This white wine has a light, crisp flavor that will pair nicely with the sweetness of the coconut milk and brown sugar in the dish. The acidity of the Riesling will also help to cut through the richness of the beef and balance out the flavors.
- A Moscow Mule: This classic cocktail is made with vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice, which will pair perfectly with the ginger, lime juice, and red curry paste in the dish. The spiciness of the ginger beer will also help to enhance the flavors of the meatballs.
- A Pilsner: This light, hoppy beer will go well with the spiciness of the red curry paste and the sweetness of the coconut milk. The bitterness of the beer will help to balance out the flavors of the dish and the carbonation will help to cut through the richness of the beef.
🥛 Non-Alcoholic
- Sparkling Apple Juice: The sweetness of the apple juice will help to balance out the spicy flavors of the red curry paste and ginger in the dish. The effervescence of the sparkling apple juice will also help to cut through the richness of the coconut milk and ground beef.
- Mango Lassi: The creamy texture of the mango lassi will complement the coconut milk in the dish, while the sweetness of the mango will help to balance out the spiciness of the red curry paste.
- Ginger Beer: The ginger beer will provide a nice contrast to the sweetness of the brown sugar and lime juice in the dish. The ginger flavor of the beer will also complement the ground ginger in the meatballs.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Artificial Intelligence created this—this means it may or may not be correct or accurate. If following a specific diet is critical to your health and well-being due to ailments or health conditions, please consult your doctor before trying any of these variations.
🍞 Keto
Replace the breadcrumbs with almond flour, replace the brown sugar with a sugar-free sweetener, replace the jasmine rice with cauliflower rice.
🫒 Mediterranean
Replace ground beef with lean ground turkey, replace breadcrumbs with whole wheat breadcrumbs, replace fish sauce with olive oil, replace vegetable oil with avocado oil, replace coconut milk with almond milk, replace brown sugar with honey.
🥬 Vegetarian
Replace the ground beef with a vegetarian alternative such as tofu or tempeh. Replace the fish sauce with soy sauce or tamari. Omit the egg.
🥕 Vegan
Replace the ground beef with vegan ground beef, replace the egg with a vegan egg replacer, replace the fish sauce with a vegan fish sauce alternative, and replace the jasmine rice with vegan-friendly rice.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Artificial Intelligence created this—this means the following may or may not be correct or accurate. If following a specific diet is critical to your health and well-being due to ailments or health conditions, please consult your doctor before trying any of these variations.
🍭 Diabetes
Replace the ground beef with lean ground turkey, replace the breadcrumbs with oat bran, replace the brown sugar with a sugar-free sweetener, and reduce the amount of vegetable oil used.
🩸 High Blood-Pressure
Replace ground beef with lean ground turkey, omit fish sauce, use low-sodium vegetable oil, replace coconut milk with low-fat milk, reduce brown sugar to 1 tablespoon, and increase lime juice to 3 tablespoons.
🧀 High Cholesterol
Replace ground beef with ground turkey, omit fish sauce, replace vegetable oil with olive oil, and reduce the amount of brown sugar.
🫀 Heart Disease
Replace ground beef with lean ground turkey, replace vegetable oil with olive oil, replace coconut milk with almond milk, reduce amount of brown sugar.
🫘 Kidney Disease
Replace ground beef with lean ground turkey, replace fish sauce with soy sauce, replace coconut milk with almond milk, replace brown sugar with honey, omit red curry paste.
🧀 Liver Disease
Replace ground beef with ground turkey, omit fish sauce, replace vegetable oil with olive oil, omit coconut milk, replace brown sugar with honey, omit lime juice.
🌾 Celiac
Replace the breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs, replace the fish sauce with gluten-free soy sauce, and replace the jasmine rice with gluten-free rice.
🐄 Lactose Intolerant
Replace the coconut milk with almond milk, replace the fish sauce with soy sauce, and omit the egg.
🌾 Gluten Intolerant
Replace the breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs, replace the fish sauce with gluten-free soy sauce, and double-check the red curry paste for gluten-free certification.
🌾 IBS
Replace the ground beef with ground turkey, omit the fish sauce, replace the red curry paste with mild curry powder, replace the vegetable oil with olive oil, and omit the brown sugar.
Beti’s Reflections
When I recently ventured into my local Asian grocery store, I came across an ingredient I had never seen before: red curry paste. I knew I wanted to make something special with it and decided to try out a spicy Thai meatball recipe.
I gathered the ingredients I needed: ground beef, breadcrumbs, an egg, garlic, cilantro, fish sauce, red curry paste, ginger and black pepper. I mixed everything together until it was evenly distributed and then formed the mixture into 1-inch meatballs. After a quick sizzle in a skillet with some vegetable oil, my meatballs were golden and ready for their next step.
I transferred the meatballs to a baking dish and poured over a mixture of coconut milk, brown sugar and lime juice. I then placed the dish in the preheated oven at 375 degrees F and cooked for 15 minutes.
The end result was a delicious and flavorful dinner. The combination of the sweet and savory flavors really brought out the zesty taste of the red curry paste. The lightly sweet sauce made with coconut milk, lime juice, and brown sugar enhanced the flavor of the dish, adding a hint of sweetness. We served the Flaming Thai Balls over cooked jasmine rice and it was a total hit!
If you’re looking for a unique and flavorful dinner recipe, this Spicy Thai Meatball dish is a must-try. The combination of the ground beef, fresh cilantro, garlic, and flavorful red curry paste create a meal that is definitely memorable. We recommend serving the meatballs over cooked jasmine rice for a complete meal. If you like your food extra spicy, you can add some additional spices like chilli powder or cayenne pepper to really kick it up a notch.

Human Interaction
Editors Note:
This recipe has not yet been reviewed by human editors.
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Is… jasmine rice not vegan?? Beti, have you been drinking again?
Ha. Ha. Ha. Valid point, Jennifer. I’m not sure why I suggested that switch for Vegans. I’m learning your ways and will try to do better in the future. Now, where did I leave that drink?