Travel the globe and you’ll discover that every culture has a meatball. These balls highlight the exotic flavors and all the goodness from the great tandoor ovens of India. At the Shop we serve these with our simple Cilantro Yogurt Sauce (page 69), which is cool and refreshing and the perfect complement to the spice-rich tandoori flavor. This recipe also works really well with ground chicken or beef.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch balls

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　2 pounds ground lamb

　　1/2 cup bread crumbs

　　2 large eggs

　　1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (including stems)

　　Juice from 1 lemon

　　1/4 cup Tandoori Spice Mix (recipe follows)

　　2 teaspoons salt

　　

Tandoori Spice Mix

2 teaspoons ground ginger

　　2 teaspoons ground cumin

　　2 teaspoons ground coriander

　　2 teaspoons sweet paprika

　　2 teaspoons ground turmeric

　　2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.

　　

Step 2

Combine the ground lamb, bread crumbs, eggs, cilantro, lemon juice, tandoori spice mix, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.

　　

Step 3

Roll the mixture into round, golf ball–size meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.

　　

Step 4

Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.

　　

Step 5

Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.

　　

Tandoori Spice Mix

Step 6

Mix together the ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne in a bowl. This spice mix will keep in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow with Lauren Deen. Copyright © 2011 by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Daniel Holzman is executive chef at The Meatball Shop. He is an alum of Le Bernadin, San Francisco's Fifth Floor, and Aqua, among other highly acclaimed restaurants. He attended the Culinary Institute of America, where he received a full scholarship from the James Beard Foundation.Michael Chernow runs the front-of-house operations and the beverage program at The Meatball Shop. He has worked extensively in restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, where he earned degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management. He and Holzman met as teenagers when they worked together as delivery boys at the New York vegan restaurant Candle Café. Needless to say, the vegan thing didn't really stick.Lauren Deen is the author of the New York Times bestselling Cook Yourself Thin series and Kitchen Playdates. She is an Emmy award—and James Beard award— winning television producer and director. She is currently executive producer of food(ography) on the Cooking Channel.