This double dip recipe is for Thai Meatballs with two sauces – great versatile sauces that can be used as sides on lots of recipes. The meatballs are great based on beef lamb or pork, I have to admit I’m only mad on pork mince when I know its provenance. This is quick too – I had the 2 sauces cooking and the meatballs in the oven after 30 minutes – not bad for a meal made from scratch. The peanut sauce comes from Dublin Cookery School’s great recipe repetoire. Make the meatballs really small and serve as canapes on cocktail sticks and they make great party food.  You can make the sauces as hot as you like which will make the cocktails go down even quicker if it’s party time!….Without the cocktails it makes a great nutritious meal.

Peanut Sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp red curry paste.. r 2 if you love it hot!
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp unrefined brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
8floz coconut milk
Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the curry paste and cook out for about a minute. Stir in all the other ingredients and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickens and is lovely and fragrant.

Chilli Jam
2 red peppers roughly chopped
2 red chillis deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 onions  chopped
2 tomatoes diced
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vinegar – balsamic or white if not
1 tbsp brown sugar
Oil

Heat oil in the pan and add all the ingredients and mix to coat
Cook on medium heat for a few minutes until veggies start to soften
Turn down the heat, add enough water to cover them.
Cover with a lid and cook until everything is soft
Blend and taste – adjust with vinegar if it needs to be sourer or a further pinch of sugar if not sweet enough.
Cool completely before using.
This will keep in jars in the fridge for 2-3 weeks

Meatballs
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1lb minced beef, lamb or pork
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass
4 spring onions finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp each of lemon juice and fish sauce
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a pan and add teh spring onion, garlic, lemongrass and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the mix to the meat and using your hands blend well. Season and roll and shape the meat into small balls. Heat a decent amount of oil in a frying pan and when hot cook the meatballs over a medium heat unti browned on the underside. turn over and cook the other side until browned. You can continue cooking on the pan until cooked through or put into preheated over at 180C for about 5 minutes if small balls and slightly longer if bigger than bite size.

Serve with the 2 dipping sauces and enjoy… cocktail of choice – optional!