chive and multi-spice meatballs, tamarind and apricot glaze

Makes approximately 12-14 meatballs

Meatballs:

• 5 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
• 10g fresh chives (this is about half of most small supermarket packs)
• ½ tsp rock salt
• ½ tsp white pepper
• ½ tsp Caribbean curry powder
• ½ tsp garlic paste
• ½ tsp bouillon powder 
• ½ tsp Garam Masala
• ½ tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• 1 slice of bread broken into crumbs 
• 1 egg
• Black sesame seeds (optional, to garnish)

Tamarind and apricot glaze:

• 4 tbsp Indian tamarind sauce 
• 4 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp apricot jam/preserve
• 1 tsp honey 
• Juice of ½ lime
• (Optional) pinch of hot chilli powder to taste
• Water to loosen

1. Cut the chicken thighs into roughly 1 inch pieces.
2. Blitz in a food processor until broken up but not fully minced, pausing every 10 or so seconds. With a powerful processor this process will take about 20-30 seconds.
3. Tear up the chives into chunks and add to the chicken in the processor.
4. Blitz the chicken and chives together until minced. Pause every 10 or so seconds. You want to avoid creating a paste.
5. Once the chicken and chive mix is minced, carefully remove the blade from the food processor.
6. Add all remaining meatball ingredients listed above, and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined, but don’t overwork the meat past this point. Use washed hands and/or a wooden spoon.
7. Use wet or oiled hands to roll the mixture into roughly evenly sized balls around 1 inch wide.
8. Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper, and lay the balls onto the lined tray, making sure they are spaced out.
9. Bake at 170 degrees (fan) for 12-15 minutes. Check at 12 minutes, to avoid dry meatballs. Remove from the oven once cooked, again to avoid the meatballs drying out whilst the oven is off but still hot.
10. Whilst the meatballs are cooking, mix all of the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Add in a little water bit by bit and stir in, until you have a consistency similar to that of gravy/that just about coats the back of a spoon. 

• See reels on toyotastes (IG) for visual aids.
• If you've got stale/leftover bread that you can use, great.
• Make sure your apricot jam is at least 40% fruit, and the higher quality the better to avoid a sauce that’s too sugary.
• The mix of seasonings may seem a little eclectic, just trust me!
• There are of course infinite spice combinations for delicious meatballs, some other seasoning substitutes you could try: a dash of lemongrass paste and/or ginger or galangal paste. You could use a little fresh ginger instead of paste. Same with the garlic referenced above. I would just finely chop these first before adding to the mix to help with even distribution. 
• The meatballs (in this quantity) cook pretty quickly, but of course cut one open to check first.
• A steamer or microwave would be best for reheating – for the latter add a splash of water into the plate/container and cover.