Gehaktbal - The almighty Dutch Meatball. It's the most popular dish in Holland. It's so important to the Dutch that they have a designated day for their meatballs. Every Wednesday is 'Gehaktbal Dag' (Meatball Day). All butchers sell minced meat at discounted prices and you can smell the meatballs simmering in the pots of every Dutch household in the evening.
The Gehaktbal (Dutch meatball) may not be as famous as Köttbullar (Swedish meatball), thanks to Ikea but wait a second and take a look at the below picture:
There is nothing in particular special about Dutch meatball except for these two Dutch ingredients: Rusks Toast and Gehakt Spice Mix (coriander, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, cardamon, chili and marjoram).
Gehaktbal (Dutch Meatball) Recipe (Makes 10)
Ingredients
- 500 g beef mince
- 500 g pork mince
- 1/8 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 6 tsp gehakt spices (can be replaced with sweet paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper)
- 4 rusks toasts (can be replaced with 4 tbsp breadcrumbs)
- 100 g butter
Method
- Mix minced beef and minced pork in a large bowl.
- Add milk, egg, gehakt spices and rucks toast and use hands to mix well.
- Divide mixture into 10 equal portions.
- Roll each portion into a ball.
- Heat up a large frying pan with butter until butter is melted and bubbling.
- Add meatball in the pan in single layer and fry until they are browned on all sides.
- Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- Cover the pan with lid and reduce heat and simmer the meatballs for 1/2 hour or until all meatballs are cooked in the centre.
- Remove the meatballs on serving plates (1-2 meatballs per person).
- Increase the heat and boil the remaining jus in the pan until it's slightly thicken and adjust seasoning. (Note: Add cream if you prefer to have creamy thick gravy.)
- Serve the meatballs with jus, potatoes and green vegetables.