Chicken Meatballs in Thai Coconut Curry

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: If you can't find yellow curry paste, make your own (see recipe below). The timing of cooking the meatballs will vary, depending on the type of slow cooker you have (temperatures vary in the low settings from cooker to cooker). You may need to crank the machine to high for the last 30 minutes. From "The Great American Slow Cooker Book," by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.

• 1 c. coconut milk

• 2/3 c. low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 tbsp. yellow Thai curry paste (see Note)

• 2 tsp. fish sauce

• 2 tsp. packed light brown sugar

• 1 1/2 lb. ground chicken

• 1/3 c. minced red onion

• 3 tbsp. minced trimmed lemongrass (white and pale green part only)

• 3 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro leaves

• 2 tsp. minced garlic

Directions

Whisk coconut milk, broth, curry paste, fish sauce and brown sugar in slow cooker until brown sugar dissolves.

Mix ground chicken, onion, lemongrass, cilantro and garlic in large bowl. Use your clean, dry hands to form this mixture into meatballs using 1/4-cup increments. Drop into coconut sauce.

Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into center of a meatball registers 165 degrees and the sauce is aromatic and rich.

Yellow Thai Curry Paste

Makes about 1/4 cup.

• 2 (2-in.-long) pieces trimmed lemongrass (only the white or purple bits near the root), minced

• 1 or 2 seeded, stemmed and chopped serrano chiles

• 2 peeled, quartered garlic cloves

• 4 whole cloves

• 2 tbsp. cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds

• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

Place minced lemongrass in large spice grinder or mini-food processor with the chiles, garlic, cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cinnamon. Grind or process, scraping down the interior of the container occasionally, until a coarse paste forms.

Use as much as you need, then transfer this paste to a small glass jar or plastic container and store in freezer for up to 3 months.