Lamb meatballs simmered in creamy spinach sauce

This is another recipe from the android known as Padma Lakshmi. Delicious. The meatballs themselves could easily be formed into burgers as well. Grill 'em and brush them with some of that bbq sauce I posted about earlier. I think the best part of this dish is the almost psychedelic contrast of colors once the yogurt is added and the liquid fat pools in pockets on the surface. It looks lava hot and minty cool at the same time.
    It's been a week since I last posted. Truth be told, I haven't had the time to cook so much, what with spring rolling around and the moving business picking up in speed. Also, I'm getting knee deep in pre-production for a zombie film I'm directing. There will be a killer fund-raising party at a gallery in Brooklyn on April 5th. I'll save a separate post to fill you all in on the details. Hopefully, I'll get busy enough to be able to quit my moving job, and return, as my boss puts it, to "white-boy town."
    Last night I went to a Tennessee Williams play in Philly that my little brother assistant stage managed, which was great. Here's the plug: http://egopo.or
Anyhoo- here's the recipe.

Meatballs:
1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 egg, beaten,
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tbs. minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. ground coriander seed
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 tsp. salt

Simmering Sauce:
3 tbs. canola oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
3 whole dried red chilies
3 cloves
4 star anise pods
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cp diced yellow onions
1 tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 cups chopped fresh tomoatoes
1 tsp. sambar or madras curry powder
1 tbs. tomato paste, dissolved in approximately 4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup beef or chicken stock
1 pound fresh spinach, washed and chopped thinly (chiffonade)
1 cup full-fat yogurt
    salt

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Grease your hands with cooking oil so that the meat doesn't stick to them, and form in 2 inch meatballs. You should be able to make 12 to 14.

Grease a shallow dish with cooking oil and arrange the meatballs within it. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove from fridge and bring to room temperature.

For the sauce, in a dutch oven or large deep skillet, heat the canola oil and add the cumin, chilies, cloves and star anise. After 2 minutes, or when the seeds and chilies start to color, add the garlic onions, and ginger, and stir for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions become transparent. Then add the fresh tomatoes and stir until they lose their shape. Add the curry powder and mix.

Add the tomato-paste water and stock, and continue to stir for 3 to 5 more minutes.

Lay all the meatballs into the sauce and spoon some of the sauce over top of them. Add enough boiling water to completely bathe the meatballs, if needed. Cover the dutch oven and simmer for 40 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. Don't let the meatballs stick to the bottom or dry out because they aren't coated in sauce.

After 40 minutes, add the fresh spinach, cover and wilt; about 4 minutes. Slowly add the yogurt and salt to taste. Continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the yogurt starts to separate a bit. Serve over rice.