2 cups white rice
4 cups water
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 tbsp oil
½ tsp salt
1 old/dry bread roll
600 g mixed ground meat (beef and pork)
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp ground chipotle chili
For the sauce:
3 tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 onion
1 can chopped tomatoes
approx. 200 ml water
2 tsp vegetable broth
1 chipotle chili in adobo + 1 tsp of the adobo
1 tbsp oil
1. Prepare the rice
Heat a little oil in a pot and sauté the finely chopped onion until translucent.
Add the rice and toast briefly. Pour in water, season with salt and cook for about 15 minutes.
Set aside one quarter of the cooked rice for the meatballs. The rest will be served as a side dish.
2. Prepare the meatballs
Soak the dry bread roll in water, turning it several times, then squeeze out the excess liquid.
In a bowl combine the ground meat with the egg, salt, pepper and chili.
Add the soaked bread and the reserved rice and mix well.
Shape small meatballs, roll them lightly in breadcrumbs and briefly brown them in a pan on all sides.
They should only be browned, not fully cooked. Set aside.
3. Prepare the tomato chipotle sauce
Place all sauce ingredients (except the oil) in a blender and purée until smooth.
Heat the oil in a pot and pour in the sauce.
Simmer gently for about 15 minutes, gradually reducing the heat.
4. Finish cooking the meatballs
Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook over low heat for another 15 minutes, until fully cooked.
5. Serve
Serve the albóndigas in the tomato chipotle sauce with the remaining white rice.
Tip:
If you prefer not to use rice in the meat mixture, you can place a small piece of hard-boiled egg inside each meatball. This is also a very traditional variation in many regions of Mexico.
