My mom has always been quite the sneaky cook.
She always wanted us to expand our culinary horizons and give new things a try. We weren’t picky kids, but when the new things she wanted us to try were hare, bear, and deer, we protested something fierce. (We had some serious hunters in the family…and the bear was a result of my uncle about to be attacked in the woods by a bear when he was deer hunting. He literally had one shot!)
So when it came to uncommon meats, my mom tried to fool us every time. It got to the point when she made something like spaghetti with meat sauce we asked to see the package that the meat came in to make sure it wasn’t one of our favorite woodland creatures. (Not that bear was one of our favorites, but the thought of eating bear was just plain off-putting.)
My nine-year-old niece isn’t a picky eater at all, but she’s like that with lamb. But I don’t think it’s so much the fact that she doesn’t like the flavor as it is she doesn’t like the thought of eating a sweet little lamb.
So I had to use my mom’s tactics, old-school style. I told my niece this meal was beef. (I am so not proud of this, but when you’re trying to feed a protesting kid I can see how parents do what they have to do.)
And yup, she loved it. Then at the end of the meal Mike mentioned (not really thinking about it) that Rosie was such a good eater – most kids don’t like lamb! And then, as I am sure you can imagine, it hit the fan, lol. For the next 20 minutes I was bombarded with shock and disdain and What?! That was LAMB, Aunt Faith? But it was so good! And of course You tricked me! Sigh. It happens.
If you have someone who thinks they don’t like lamb this curry might just convert them…same thing with a self-professed curry-hater. And if you remember a couple weeks ago when I made the Homemade Madras Curry Paste? Yup, it was for this dish.
Head over to my guest post on the Tasty Kitchen Blog to check out the full recipe for Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry!
Laura says
Awesome story. Am off to check out the recipe--I love meatballs in curry... and I confess i always sub beef for lamb lol.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Faith, it's so cold here and I'd love to dive into a big bowl of these meatballs! :D
Nancy-SpicieFoodie says
Lamb is my favorite red meat -- and I know I'd devour your curried meatballs. My mouth is watering now:) My mom was the same with us, now I can laugh about it. Living in Europe has introduced us to all sorts of game meat, which is great. Bear isn't something I would really want to eat but I would try it once out of curiosity. I wonder if your niece will now like lamb?:)
Priscilla | ShesCookin says
Haha, there are a few good reasons why parents "lie" to their kids ;) We were like that with rabbit, deer, and lamb - never had any bear!! Blame it on childhood nursery rhymes and stories like Bambi, Peter Rabbit and Mary Had A Little Lamb! We have no issues now - your lamb curry meatballs look divine :)
Eileen says
Lamb is my favorite red meat of all time, especially in spicy meatball form! These sound so good!
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz says
Great story about your niece and brilliant tactic by your mom. Lamb meatballs is a great idea, especially in a delicious curry!
Alyssa (Everyday Maven) says
Haha!!! That is adorable Faith. I just did this the other day with my son but about cauliflower. So funny how you can get something in your head and think you don't like it when you might really love it.
Katerina says
I have a confession to make; I don't like lamb either. I cannot bear the smell of it. My son eats it though and he loves it! I perhaps could eat couple of spoons from this curry lamb because I believe that the curry would overpower the smell of lamb. And yes my mother did exactly the same thing as yours. She always tried to trick me to eat something because I was a very picky eater as a child but I also was too smart to be fooled haha!
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite says
I'm hoping the my daughter grows up loving all foods and a willingness to try out new flavors. I'm a huge fan of lamb.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
These look so good, Faith! Only you could make me crave lamb at 8:30 am :).
Rosa says
A wonderfully spicy lamb curry!
Cheers,
Rosa