Southeast Asian Pork and Lemongrass Meatball Kebabs Wrapped in Lettuce Leaves with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
What traveler to faraway places with strange-sounding names hasn’t become enamored of the street food found along the way? As much as art, architecture, magnificent landscapes, and the people, the food attracts. Street food requires no formal dress, nor a large bank account. It is simply there for eating, either at the spot or on the move to the next point of interest. In keeping with the street-food theme, grill these sausages if you can. Otherwise, a brisk sauté on the stove top works well. The dipping sauce, nuoc cham, is the table sauce in Vietnamese dining, much like a cruet of vinegar and one of oil on an Italian table, a bottle of chile oil and one of soy sauce on a Chinese table, or fresh tomato salsa or salsa verde on a Mexican table. It is important to use a good-quality fish sauce, one that is smooth, rather than sharp. I recommend Thai Kitchen brand, generally available in well-stocked supermarkets these days and certainly available in Asian markets.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
Preparation
Step 1
To make the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix. Use right away or set aside at room temperature for up to several hours. (The sauce is best used without refrigerating and is perkiest if used the same day it is made.)
Step 2
Prepare a medium-hot grill, or film the bottom of a large sauté pan with oil and place over medium-high heat. If grilling, soak 12 to 16 small bamboo skewers in water to cover while the grill heats.
Step 3
If cooking on a grill, drain the skewers and thread 2 or 3 sausage balls onto each one. Place them on the grill rack directly over the heat source. If sautéing, place as many meatballs as will fit without crowding in the pan. Cook, turning the balls frequently, until brown all around and no longer pink in the center but still moist, 8 to 10 minutes, by either method.
Step 4
To serve, arrange the lettuce leaves, slightly overlapping, on a platter. Transfer the meatballs to the platter as they are cooked, setting them atop the lettuce. Sprinkle the mint over the meatballs. Divide the dipping sauce among a few small bowls and set the bowls around the table so the sauce is within easy reach of all the diners. Each diner lifts a lettuce leaf, enfolding 1 or 2 of the meatballs, and dips the leaf package into the sauce.
