Today I would like to share a very old and traditional Danish recipe. This Danish recipe is called Boller I Karry which directly translated into English would be Danish Meatballs in Curry. I remember having had this dish since I was a kid and that it was one of my favorite. I know that my mother also liked making this dish because it is tasteful and easy to prepare.
Curry in the Nordic Kitchen
The dish has a curry sauce and is served with rice - both ingredients which are originally far from Denmark. Despite that, this dish is a traditional Danish dish and has been served in Denmark for many, many years. I would not say that curry is a particular important or that popular spice in the Nordic kitchen. However, we do use curry and this dish is probably one of the most popular recipes where we use this great ingredient.
The instructions
As said above, it is quite easy to make this dish. The dish consists of three main parts; the meatballs, the curry sauce and then some cooked rice. The meatballs are made from ground pork which are mixed with an egg, flour, milk, salt and pepper. The special about these meatballs are that they are cooked in boiling water and not fried. This gives them a nice spongy feeling and a great taste.
The curry sauce is mainly made from curry, water, onions, and apples. The sauce gets a very delicious and rich taste and together with the meatballs and some rice, this is a super dish.
Remember that curry is a mixture of different spices and the it can differ in taste from brand-to-brand and from county-to-country. I will recommend you to start by adding half of what I have listed in the recipe and then add some extra if you like a stronger curry taste. The curry sauce and the meatballs are traditional served in the same pot and then together with a bowl of freshly cooked rice. Then you mix together the two parts on you plate as you like.
Danish Meatballs Curry Sauce (Boller i Karry)
2-3 people
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Danish title: Boller i Karry
Cuisine: Danish
Category: dinner
Ingredients:
The meatballs:
500 g (1 lb) ground pork (10%)
1 large onion, diced
1 egg
2.5 dl (1 cup) milk
45 g (1.5 oz) all-purpose flour
2-3 tsp salt
pepper
The Curry Sauce:
1 onion, diced
2 tsp curry
1 apple, diced
2 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
6 dl water, from the boiling of the meatballs
butter or oil for frying
Instructions:
The Meatballs:
1. Peel the onion and dice it.
2. In a bowl; mix all the ingredients together.
3. In a large sauce pan; add about 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of water. Turn on the heat and let it heat up until boiling point.
4. Using a table spoon and your hand palms; create small meatballs and put them into the boiling water.
5. Boil the meatballs for about 10 minutes and put them in a strainer to let the water drain away. Save the water used to boil the meatballs – this will be used to make the curry sauce in the next step.
The Curry Sauce:
1. Peel the onion and apple and dice both.
2. In a sauce pan; add some oil and fry the diced onions for about one minute.
3. Add the curry and fry for another minute.
4. Add the diced apples and fry again for one minute.
5. Add the flour and mix everything together until the flour is completely soaked by the moist from the apples and onions.
6. Add 6 dl (2.5 cups) of the water from the boiling of the meatballs. Let it simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
7. I personally prefer the curry sauce with pieces of apples. However, you can also blend the sauce using a hand blender if you prefer a smooth consistency.
8. Finally, add the meatballs to the sauce and let them heat up for about 5 minutes.
Serve:
Serve the meatball and curry sauce together with some boiled rice.
Michelle
Hi. What side dishes are served with this?
Kim Nielsen
Hi Michelle. This dish is typically only served with traditional white rice or maybe brown rice. Regards Kim
Michelle
Thanks. I tried this tonight only with some cream in the sauce. It was great. Some of my ancestors were danish and my husband is Indian so it makes a nice dish for us!
Kim Anderson
My Danish dad always served with peeled boiled potatoes as did my Bedstemor.
Cristina
Try green beans. A Danish friend of mine served it with a side of green beans ( not to replace the rice though).
Kind Regards,
Cristina
Gitte
I like to serve it with canned pineapple slices, drizzled with curry and browned on a pan. I usually leave out the apples when doing this, as the pineapples are sweet enough on their own.
Anita
What kind of Apple do I use?
Kim Nielsen
The type of apples are not that important. Just use some nice apples for your local supermarket. Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)
Bindia | Indisk Takeaway
I love white rice with curry always my favorite with danish meatballs makes it more delicious.
Kathy
I personally use way more curry and use a combination of ground beef, veal and pork and add grated onion and allspice as well as flour and eggs and either milk or seltzer water to the mixture and whip it in a food processor. I make very small balls using a teaspoon then add to boiling stock and serve with rice and raisins added towards the end of the cooking time of the rice.
Else Ronken (Pedersen)
My background is Danish. When my mother passed we lost her recipes. One I've been looking everywhere for is a sweet and sour meatballs that is made with vinegar and sugar. Ever come across this type before? I'm going to try some of your recipes. They look yummy, but with a newer flair to them. The rye bread I remember was heavier and when you slice them you make it very thin. For them it was the standard for open face sandwiches.
Cristina
HI, I first had this dish in college when a Danish exchange student cooked it for me. It was delicious and I have made it since then because I begged her for the recipe. She did serve it with a side dish of green beans, which went nice with the curry on top. Al in all, it's a beautiful, healthy, and delicious dish. Thank you!
sandra mc
Are the boller meatballs firm or soft
Kim Nielsen
They should be firm but still soft. It's hard to describe.
sandra mc
I was looking for a non fry non italian meatball alternative and this is perfect
Helen
I wonder if you have ever seen this presented as an appetizer instead of the actual dinner?
Kim Nielsen
Normally Boller i Karry (Danish Meatballs in Curry) is the main dish. However, you can also make small portions and serve them as starters. Regards Kim (Nordicfoodliving.com)
HELEN
hELLO. SORRY FOR THE ALL CAPS. I AM Danish, LIVING IN us AND FOR A POT LUCK, I AM TO BRING AN APPETISER, IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THIS WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXOSE THEM TO DANISH MEATBALLS INSTEAD OF THE EVER PRESENT SWEDISH MEATBALLS. I WOULD PROBABLY NOT INCLUDE THE RICE. TOOTHPICKS TO DUNK IN SAUCE.
Diane Thomas (Damsgaard)
I am half Danish and grew up with my mother making this delicious dish....it was my favorite. But we called it Danish meatballs and carrots. Carrots cut in strips lengthwise about 3 or 4 inches were ALWAYS part of the dish. AND, my mom served it on boiled potatoes. I thought EVERYBODY ate it that way! I haven't made it since my kids grew up but now I can't wait to make it! Tak fah mawthe.....you know, "thank you" in Danish LOL.
Kim Nielsen
You are right - these meatballs can be served with a lot of different sides dishes. Carrots is for sure one of them. I happy that you can use the recipe. Regards Kim (Nordicfoodliving.com)
Rosa Teniteni
I know you posted over a year ago but I just stumbled across this recipe.. I believe you meant that the carrots were in the curry sauce with meatballs? Not as a side, right..?! (I'm going to add carrots to the sauce, they always slightly sweeten up a curry.)
Never, ever boiled meatballs before so this will be a new experience!!
Chelsea
Hello, this looks like a fantastic recipe. :) I was wondering what the flour does for the meatballs- and if oat flour would give the same effect?
Kim Nielsen
Thanks - I'm happy that you like the recipe. The flour in the meatballs helps to give them the right texture and makes them stick together. Yes you can substitute with different kinds of flour. Sometimes I just use rye flour, wheat flour, oats, etc. Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)
Mette S
This was my Mormor's favorite dish to make for people. I don't remember apples being part of it, but she made the best curry sauce. She preferred to serve over brown rice, and she also did Turkey variety of the meatballs.
Kim Nielsen
This dish is for sure one of the more traditional and famous Danish dishes. I understand your Mormor - it's also one of my favorite dishes.
Dominika
My family love this dish, but instead of apples for the sauce, we put some mango chutney on the plate.
Brandon P.
This recipe is good. My only question is that my meatballs looked thinner than the photos when I was shaping them. The flour and the milk were measured exactly. Is it normal for that to happen? It makes it hard for them to stay together whilst being boiled. I might try about 1/2-3/4 the amount of milk next time.
Kim Nielsen
I have just checked the measurement again and they should be OK. However, if the meatball are a little too thin then you can reduce the milk or add a little extra flour. Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)
Marty
I’ve had this recipe many times and it is delicious 🔥 I lived in Bagsværd for 22 years and it was one of my favorites, I am going to try this recipe with chicken instead of pork only because I have chicken and no pork😃. Chicken does go well with curry, I’ll let you know how it is😃. Skal 🍺
Kiya
My grandparents were Danish and I grew up eating this dish! We always had it with steamed carrots on the side and we never used apples in it but that might have been a preference of my grandma. Such good memories
Jeanette K
I can not describe how wonderful this dish is. My husband & I host Danish college kids and last night, our newest group of boys made this but with oats and not the apples. It was their first time making it from watching their Moms. My kitchen was a mess, but I was happy with such great tasting food. Thank you for posting.
Mikey
Man, the recipes you can find by sheer accident. This happens to be one of them. One things lead to another regarding searching for meatballs, and it was pure curiosity to see if each Nordic country had its take on the foodstuff - and I have done Swedish meatballs so many times. Also, I want to introduce my baby nephew to 100 cuisines by the time he is in year 1 at school - we roll over to 16 with Denmark. And I wouldn't have expected that one so soon.
The biggest difference between this recipe and what I made was that I used ground beef - it was what was in the freezer at home. And let's say milk in a meatball - the actual meatball - is a new one on me.
Overall, it is a slight bit on the bland side - I definitely will go more mad on the curry powder next time. It was also good to have something that was less greasy after so many recipes which had rich textures and flavours. A couple of my nieces were even a little interested in trying it.
As always, I like to spread my culinary wings to other cuisines in all corners of the world. It gets you to try new things, and this was one of them.