Grilled Meat Balls With Peanut Sauce Recipe

(Nem Nuong)

These meatballs are equally good grilled over charcoal or broiled under an oven grill.

Ingredients : Serves 4 - 6

225 g

500 g

2 cloves

1/2 teaspoon

1 tablespoon

500 g

40 g

5 stalks

400 g

750 ml

Rice vermicelli

Bamboo skewers

Lean pork or beef, cut into small pieces

Garlic, peeled and minced

Salt

Sugar

Rice wine

Roasted rice powder

Fish sauce

Oil

Butterhead lettuce leaves

Fresh mint leaves

Fresh coriander (Cilantro)

Cucumber, peeled and cut into thin strips

Ripe pineapple, peeled and cubed (from 1/4 whole pineapple)

Peanut dipping sauce

Method :

Soak the noodles in cold water for 20 minutes. Blanch in boiling water, then rinse under cold water. Drain well and set aside on a plate. Soak the bamboo skewers in water.
To make the meatballs, in a large mixing bowl combine the pork, garlic, salt, sugar and rice wine. Marinate the meat for 30 minutes, then pound the meat with a mortar and pestle or grind in a food processor until fine.
In the meantime, start the barbecue fire.
Put the ground meat in a large mixing bowl and stir in the roasted rice powder, fish sauce and vegetable oil. Mix well. Form meat into 1-cm (1/2 in) balls and shape 2 to 3 around each bamboo skewer, squeezing the meat firmly so that it clings to the skewer. If the meat will not cling to the skewers, just pinch them into 2 1/2 cm (1 in) balls - they will grill just as easily. repeat until meat is used up. Set aside.
Arrange the vermicelli, lettuce leaves, mint leaves, fresh coriander, cucumber and pineapple on a serving platter. Set aside.
Cook the meatballs over medium-hot coals, or alternately, broil them in the oven. turn the skewers often to ensure the meat browns and cooks evenly. When done, remove from the heat and arrange the skewers on the platter with the vegetables.
To serve, pass the platter and let each person take a lettuce leaf, and place on the leaf a small portion of noodles, 1 meat ball, mint leaves, fresh coriander leaves, cucumber and pineapple before folding this into a packet. Serve with peanut dipping sauce.