Ninh Hoa Grilled Meatballs
- Total Time
- 20 minutes, plus 2 hours marinating time
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound ground pork
- ½teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 5cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1½tablespoons sugar
- 1teaspoon cornstarch
- 1½teaspoons potato starch
- 1tablespoon bottled fish sauce (nuoc mam)
- Vegetable oil for greasing the hands
- 2small heads Boston lettuce, cored, with leaves separated
Preparation
- Step 1
In a bowl, mix the pork, pepper, garlic, sugar, cornstarch and potato starch and fish sauce. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Step 2
Preheat a grill or broiler. With oiled hands, make 21 meatballs, each about 1 inch in diameter. (The mixture may be a bit loose.) If grilling, place 3 meatballs on each of 7 bamboo skewers. If broiling, place on a baking sheet or broiler pan. Grill or broil until the meatballs are deep brown and crisp on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from skewers.
- Step 3
Serve the hot meatballs with the lettuce leaves and nuoc cham dipping sauce (see recipe).
- Vietnamese ingredients can be bought at specialty food stores or by mail order from K. Kalustyan, 123 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016; (212) 685-3451.
Private Notes
Comments
Forming the meatballs on the skewers which had been presoaked, seemed like they wouldn't work all the way to grill and turning. Take heart, it does. They are delicious with the cool crisp lettuce (a bit of a sell to guests.)