Vegan Protein Meatballs with Eggplant, Soy Flakes, and Yellow Curry

This week during a family meal, after a long conversation, I reached the conclusion that there are three cuisines that, in my eyes, are the Top 3 in the world: Italian, Arab-Mediterranean, and Thai.

While the first two are scientifically proven to be the best for health thanks to the extensive use of fresh vegetables and olive oil, the latter—how shall we put it delicately—while very delicious, often suffers from an overreliance on coconut milk rich in saturated fat, heavy frying, white rice, and plenty of sugar-rich sauces. True, there is also the use of fresh fruits and vegetables, but this cuisine has its nutritional drawbacks.

Therefore, I decided to challenge myself and create a Thai dish that is high in protein, low in calories and fat, yet still delivers the authentic flavors of Thailand in every bite.

A post shared by Haggai Leffler - The Vegan Athlete (@haggai_leffler) on Aug 7, 2018 at 5:12am PDT

A Bit About the Recipe – Vegan Protein Meatballs

I used soy flakes (sometimes found as "textured vegetable protein" or TVP), which are a high-protein byproduct of the tofu and soy industry.

These soy flakes come completely dry, are very affordable, and contain a very high amount of protein—about 55g of protein per 100g of flakes—with only 1% fat.

You can make meatballs from them, as in this recipe, or use them to stuff vegetables like peppers or tomatoes. They can also be combined with rice or even sprinkled over morning oatmeal.

In this recipe, to create the meatball base using soy flakes, I added eggplant. It's a low-calorie, low-carb vegetable that absorbs flavors beautifully and maintains moisture.

The result is a stable, flavorful, and low-calorie meatball.

For the sauce, I used a quarter cup of coconut milk (8% fat) and water, rather than coconut cream which contains 20% fat. This produces a thinner sauce that is less heavy but significantly lower in calories—and still delicious.

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How to serve?

A serving of these vegan protein meatballs paired with half a cup of cooked brown rice makes a wonderful lunch solution.

The dish is rich in dietary fiber, ensuring a sense of fullness throughout the day and balanced blood sugar levels.

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Nutritional Values

Fitness trainer and nutritionist Noam Bechar:

One serving of vegan protein meatballs contains:

Print

Vegan Protein Meatballs

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 eggplant medium sized
• 100 g dry soy flakes (TVP) about 1 cup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp tahini raw/whole
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 tbsp ginger grated
• 1/4 chili pepper finely chopped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Sauce

• 1.5 tbsp yellow curry paste or any other curry you like
• 100 ml coconut milk quarter of a can
• 100 ml water approx. 1/4 cup

For Serving

• 1/2 cup baby corn
• sprouts
• chili pepper
• basil leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to a very high heat (250°C) on the upper grill setting.
2. Wash the eggplant and place it on a baking tray.
3. Roast the eggplant in the oven for 10-15 minutes until it turns black and the skin is charred. You can also roast it over an open flame, though for health reasons roasting in the oven is recommended.
4. Remove the eggplant from the oven, cut in half, and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, discarding the skin.
5. Finely chop the eggplant flesh and transfer to a deep bowl.
6. Add the soy flakes, water, and the rest of the meatball ingredients to the bowl and mix well until the mixture is uniform.
7. With wet hands, form meatballs about the size of a ping-pong ball and place on a baking tray.
   
8. Bake the meatballs at a medium heat (180°C) for about 10-15 minutes until they brown. Remove from the oven, let them cool slightly, and set aside.
   
9. Prepare the sauce.
10. Heat the coconut milk and water in a pot and bring to a boil.
11. Add the curry paste and mix well until fully integrated into the sauce.
12. Place the meatballs in a deep bowl and pour the sauce over them.
13. Top with basil leaves, chili pepper, sprouts, and baby corn, and serve alongside brown rice.