Vietnamese Pork Meatballs

Vietnamese Pork Meatballs

I got the original idea for this from a Vietnamese cookbook but I changed it completely, so I feel ok taking credit. ;)

This can probably feed about 4 people. Yum!

Ingredients for meatballs:

1 lb. ground pork

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp MSG

1 T finely ground lemongrass

2 garlic cloves, minced

About 1 inch of ginger, finely ground

2-3 mint leaves, chopped teeny tiny

1 T lime juice

Combine ingredients & form meatballs - I sized mine pretty large, see below

Oil in frying pan, cook evenly until brown -

When they're done, put them into a bowl with paper towel & pat lightly to remove grease

I served these with rice noodles and spicy peanut dipping sauce.

Side Salad -

Salad dressing ingredients:

1/2-1 cup oil (I just used vegetable oil - anything light would work but I would steer clear from Olive or Sesame)

1 handful of mint leaves

1 handful of Kaffir lime leaves

Juice from one lime

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 T lemongrass, finely ground

Blend in food processor

Salad:

I used endive & romaine (neither of which are Vietnamese, obviously, but we needed some leafy greens that day) - chopped tomatoes, cucumber, and white onion. I think a more traditional Vietnamese side would be iceberg or cabbage with carrots & cucumber. :)

This is really not hard to make and SOOO flavorful!