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Grilled Meatballs with Rice Vermicelli - Bun Nem Nuong
Recipe provided by Tia Nguyen
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Meatball Marinade
- 1 lb minced pork
- Fish sauce & salt to taste
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 shallots, minced
- 2 Thai Bird’s Eye chilies, seeded & minced
- 2 tbsp Chinese rice wine
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- A touch of freshly ground cinnamon
Additional Ingredients & Supplies
- Soaked bamboo skewers
- Cooked rice vermicelli
- Fresh cilantro
- Fried scallion
- Other fresh herbs/vegies
- Vietnamese dipping sauce
Direction
For juicy, bouncy meatballs, you have to knead minced meat with seasonings until the fat and muscle tissues have melded well and formed a gelatinous mixture. This takes some work and fondness of running your fingers through raw, minced meat. You may want to put on a pair of latex surgical gloves to knead the meat. After massaging the meat for a good 15 minutes, cover and chill for at least a couple hours or, if possible, overnight.
As far as cooking, you can skewer the meatballs and put them in the oven at 500F for a grilled effect. Or if the weather is nice, putting them over the grill would be a better choice. Serve the meetballs with thin rice vermicelli, fried scallion, cilantro, and dipping sauce.
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