Pork Main Asian

Vietnamese pork meatballs (nem nuong)

Name: Vietnamese pork meatballs (nem nuong) recipe
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /asian
Ingredients: Baby gem lettuce leaves, thinly sliced mango and Lebanese cucumber, mint, coriander, Vietnamese mint (from Asian grocers) and vermicelli noodles, to serve; 1 large eschalot, fifinely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 40.00 ml white sugar; 30.00 ml fish sauce; 30.00 ml vegetable oil; 20.00 ml roasted rice powder (see notes); 4.00 tsp potato starch; 500g fatty pork mince; 100g pork fat (from butchers and delis), cut into 0.5cm pieces; 60ml lime juice; 25.00 ml caster sugar; 20.00 ml fish sauce; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped; 10 long green shallots, thinly sliced; 200ml vegetable oil

Rate now

Nem nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork meatballs)

Jump to recipe

by Khanh Ong

KHANH ONG, MASTERCHEF

Feb 09, 2024

“Nem nuóng is the Vietnamese answer to a sausage sizzle. It’s found at many barbecues and street fairs. The meatballs are usually moulded around skewers or lemongrass. This version is served as a DIY lettuce wrap. The umami meatballs are complemented by vibrant, fresh herbs, with a nod to summer from the mangoes that go so well with the flavour-packed dipping sauce.” – Khanh Ong

Baby gem lettuce leaves, thinly sliced mango and Lebanese cucumber, mint, coriander, Vietnamese mint (from Asian grocers) and vermicelli noodles, to serve

Pork meatballs

1 large eschalot, fifinely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbs white sugar
1 1/2 tbs fish sauce
1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs roasted rice powder (see notes)
2 tsp potato starch
2 tsp potato starch
500g fatty pork mince
100g pork fat (from butchers and delis), cut into 0.5cm pieces

Nuoc cham dressing

1/4 cup (60ml) lime juice
1 1/4 tbs caster sugar
1 tbs fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped

Shallot oil (see notes)

10 long green shallots, thinly sliced
200ml vegetable oil

Method

1.

For the meatballs, place all ingredients, except the pork mince and fat, and 1/2 tsp salt flakes in a small bowl with 1 1/2 tbs water and set aside for 10 minutes.
2.

Place pork mince and fat in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Add the seasoning mixture (it should be nearly foaming from the baking powder) and stir until well combined. Chill overnight or freeze for 1 hour (cooling helps improve texture of the end result). Transfer chilled mixture to a food processor and whiz for 5 minutes until a sticky rough paste.
3.

To make the dressing, mix all ingredients until sugar dissolves. It should be sweet, sour, salty with a kick of chilli.
4.

For the oil, place shallot, oil and 1/2 tsp fine salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until shallot starts to soften. Set aside to cool.
5.

Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Using a tablespoon dipped in water, drop slightly heaped 1 tbs measures of pork mixture onto prepared tray.
6.

Heat a barbecue chargrill plate or chargrill pan to medium-high. Lightly spray with oil. Cook pork for 8 minutes, turning regularly, until lightly browned and cooked through.
7.

Place lettuce, mango, cucumber and herbs on a platter. Place meatballs on a separate plate and vermicelli in a bowl. Spoon some shallot oil over meatballs and place a ramekin of nuoc cham on the side.
8.

To eat, fill a lettuce leaf with noodles, mango, cucumber and one or two meatballs, and sprinkle with herbs. Roll it up like a taco, and dip into nuoc cham.

Rate now

Recipe Notes

You can buy roasted rice powder from Asian grocers, or make your own. Toast raw rice in a frypan until golden, then whiz in a spice blender until a powder, or grind using a mortar and pestle. Shallot oil makes 1 2/3 cups. It will keep in a jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.