Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide, deep pot for poaching, 4 litre
• •Wide, heavy saucepan for the sauce
• •Fine sieve
• •Slotted spoon
• •Box grater

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the meatballs

   Grate the small onion on the fine side of a box grater directly into a mixing bowl. You want the juice as well as the flesh. Add the pork, egg, the three tablespoons of flour, the sparkling water, salt, and white pepper. Mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and slightly sticky. Sparkling water sounds strange but it matters. The bubbles create tiny air pockets that survive the poaching and give the meatballs a lighter texture than still water can. Cover the bowl and let it rest in the fridge for ten minutes while you get everything else ready.

   The mixture should feel soft and just about able to hold a rough shape when you scoop it with a spoon. If it feels dry and tight, add a splash more sparkling water.
2. 2

   Heat the poaching liquid

   Pour the stock into a wide, deep pot. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and a good pinch of salt. Bring everything up to a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil. A rolling boil will break the meatballs apart before they have a chance to set. What you want is the barest movement across the surface, the kind where bubbles rise lazily and break without noise.

3. 3

   Shape and poach

   Dip a tablespoon into the simmering liquid to warm it, then use it to scoop portions of the meat mixture. Use a second spoon to shape each one into a rough oval and slide it into the pot. Work in batches so you don't crowd the pot. Poach the meatballs for eight to ten minutes, until they are firm to the touch and float. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. Reserve the poaching liquid. It is the entire backbone of the sauce, and nothing you've done so far gets thrown away.

4. 4

   Sweat the aromatics

   Melt the butter in a wide, heavy pan over gentle heat. Add the diced onion, the leek, and the apple with a small pinch of salt. Cover and let them sweat for about eight minutes, stirring once or twice. You want them soft and translucent, never browned. The apple is the quiet secret of this sauce. It melts into sweetness that rounds everything the curry powder brings. This is not Indian curry. This is Danish karry, gentle and homebound, and the apple is how it gets there.

   Use a crisp eating apple like Cox, Elstar, or Ingrid Marie. Cooking apples go to mush too quickly and lose their sweetness.
5. 5

   Toast the curry

   Add the curry powder to the softened vegetables and stir for about thirty seconds. You'll smell the spices wake up. Don't let them burn. Toasting for a moment brings out the warmth in the powder and stops it tasting raw once the liquid goes in. Then scatter the flour over the top and stir it through. Cook for another minute so the flour loses its raw edge. You now have a pale yellow roux carrying the curry and the apple.

6. 6

   Build the sauce

   Strain the poaching liquid through a sieve to catch the bay and peppercorns. Measure out 600ml and add it to the pan a ladleful at a time, whisking after each addition. Take your time here. Adding the liquid slowly is what gives you a smooth sauce instead of a lumpy one. Once it's all in, let it come to a gentle simmer and cook for five minutes until it has thickened to the consistency of pouring cream.

7. 7

   Finish with cream and meatballs

   Pour in the cream and stir it through. Taste the sauce. Season with salt and white pepper until it sings, gently but clearly. The curry should be warm on the tongue, not sharp. Slide the poached meatballs back into the sauce and let them warm through for three or four minutes. Don't let the pot boil again. The meatballs are already cooked and boiling will make them tough. You'll know when it's right: the sauce clings to the meatballs and the whole pot smells like a Danish kitchen at six o'clock on a weeknight.

8. 8

   Serve over rice

   Spoon the long-grain rice into wide, shallow bowls and ladle the boller i karry generously over one side, letting the pale yellow sauce spread across the rice. Scatter snipped chives over the top. Bring the pot to the table so people can help themselves to seconds, because they will. Tak for mad.

Chef Tips

• •Buy a good mild yellow curry powder and keep it fresh. Curry powder loses its warmth after about six months in the cupboard. If yours smells like dust and not like spice, replace it before you make this dish.
• •Danish karry is supposed to be mild. If you want more depth, add a second spoonful of curry powder rather than reaching for anything hotter. The character of the dish lives in its gentleness.
• •The traditional side dishes are mango chutney, sliced banana, and small pickles. Set them out in little bowls at the table and let people help themselves. Children love this and adults never admit they do.
• •Leftovers are better the next day. The curry deepens overnight. Reheat gently over low heat, never a rolling boil, or the meatballs will toughen.

Advance Preparation

• •The meatballs can be poached a day ahead. Cool them in a little of the poaching liquid, cover, and refrigerate. Strain and reserve the rest of the liquid for the sauce.
• •The whole dish keeps for three days in the fridge and actually tastes better on the second day. Reheat gently over low heat.
• •Boller i karry freezes well. Cool completely, portion into containers, and freeze for up to two months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 425g)