Brinjal balls 

A healthy version of ‘meatballs’ made with brinjals is great for a spaghetti and meatballs dish, on its own as a quick snack, as part of a platter of finger foods, or added to pitas or wraps.

9.3.2021
4 serves
60 minutes
moderate

Ingredients

  • 1 x large / 2 x medium eggplants
  • 1 x medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 ½  cups roughly chopped fresh basil and coriander (or 2-3 tablespoons dried mixed herbs)
  • 1 x tablespoon olive oil
  • ¾ cup breadcrumbs  
  • ½ cup of oats
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 x teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 3 x cloves of garlic
  • 1 x chia egg (consisting of 1 tablespoon chia seeds and 3 x tablespoon water)
  • 1 x tablespoon hot English mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper to taste

Optional:

  • Chillies (fresh chopped or dried flakes to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon Liquid Smoke

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius
  • Line a baking tray with a baking sheet and put one side
  • Chop eggplant into 2cm chunks
  • Heat olive oil over medium heat and add your eggplant and fry until they get some colour.
  • Add 1/4 cup water and sauté until the water is gone.
  • Keep frying eggplant until they are dark brown (if some pieces are almost burnt, it’s fine, this adds a lovely smokey flavour).
  • Now add your eggplant and all the other ingredients to the food processor (don’t overfill, rather do two blendings with half of the other ingredients each time).
  • Let it process until you have a roughly textured batter, but do not overprocess.
  • Roll the meatball mixture into balls using about a big, heaped tablespoon of the mix.
  • Expert tip: 
    Lightly wetting your hands with some water before rolling each balls helps the mixture not to stick
  • Place on the paper on a baking tray.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes (turning every 10 minutes), or until meatballs are browned and crispy on the outside.
  • Once your balls are ready, add them to your sauce and heat it all the way through.
  • Serve on your cooked pasta and enjoy!

WHAT IS A CHIA EGG? 

You take 1 x tablespoon chia seeds and 3 x tablespoon water and put it all in a small bowl o cup. Stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes. It will become like a gel – that means its ready to use in any recipe as you would use a regular egg – just minus the cruelty!

 Notes

- You will need a food processor

- This makes about 20 balls depending on the size

- You can also store leftover meatballs in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 2 months

- For the tomato-based sauce you can make your own marinara sauce, use a cook-in sauce packet or bottle option, or even just cook up a few tins of diced tomato and onion 

Search