SMACKDOWN! Vietnamese Grilled Pork Balls and Lemongrass Beef
Wanna bite?
Do you guys know Michelle at Thursday Night Smackdown? If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I *love* her site…her humour, her recipes and fun personality. The concept of her blog is this…Thursday nights she picks a recipe from one of her cookbooks to try (how many of us have a collection of cookbooks that rarely see the light of day?), follows it, and reports to us how the whole experience went, what was great, what went wrong, and what she and her hubs thought of the end result. She has invited us to join her in her quest to dust off those cookbooks and finally make those recipes that we’ve been meaning to try and just somehow don’t get around to. The first Thursday of each month is Smackdown time. She chooses a theme for us to follow, and we dig out our cookbooks and make something from them.
Since I’m an asshole, I missed the first 2, *shame* but I’m making up for it this time. Yes indeed. I chose not 1, but 4! recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet, by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.
The pork balls. (hee! pork balls lmfao) Oh my Gawd. This is something that everyone should try. Juicy bites of seasoned pork wrapped in lettuce leaves and dipped in either peanut sauce or nuoc cham (fish sauce). These were so good the way we had them, but I think they’d be an excellent addition to spring rolls or noodle soup, too.
Ingredients:
1 pound lean pork, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup shallots, minced
1/4 cup garlic, minced
2 tablespoons nuoc mam (fish sauce)
1 teaspoon sugar
ground black pepper to taste
2 ounces (50 grams) pork fat, minced
2 tablespoons roasted rice powder (I’ll explain how to make this)
peanut oil
lettuce, herbs, bean sprouts, chilies, scallions and cucumber to garnish
nuoc cham (fish sauce) and peanut sauce for dipping (recipe to follow)
Preparation:
Whisk together the shallots, garlic, fish sauce, sugar and pepper.
Add pork and coat well.
Cover and marinate at least 1 hour (or up to 24) in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to make the balls, place the meat in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
Using a food processor, whiz the pork fat into a paste.
Add pork and process until you have a sort of pasty ball.
Add the roasted rice powder and process to combine.
Lightly oil a large plate and your hands, and form smaller sized pork balls.
Thread 4 balls onto each skewer.
Grill over medium high heat–you’ll want to have a nice sear before turning, but once all sides are seared, lower heat a bit to cook through.
Serve wrapped in lettuce leaves with your choice of salad/herb ingredients and dipping sauce.
**to make the roasted rice powder: Take about 1/4 cup of jasmine rice and dry roast it over medium high heat in a saute pan. You’ll need to toss it around a lot to prevent burning. The end result should be a nice golden puffy rice. Once cooled, process in a food processor or coffee/spice grinder until powdery. Store in an airtight container (I use recycled food jars).
The Herb and Salad Plate:
The Grilled Lemongrass Beef was also good, though I think I may have liked it better with a bit less fish sauce. Don’t get me wrong…I love fish sauce, but I think it overpowered the other flavors in this dish. So, if you decide to try this recipe, you might want to keep that in mind. I would have liked to taste a little more of the sesame and garlic. The meat was incredibly tender and juicy, no small feat for the cheap cut of beef that I bought. I figured, though, that since it was so thinly sliced, and was going to be marinated, that it wouldn’t need to be the most expensive cut (which, incidentally, is going for around 35 euros a kilo these days. 35 euros = 51 US dollars)….so I did cheat just a little bit and deviated from the recipe there. If I were made of money, or perhaps if it grew on trees, I’d be less hesitant at spending so much, but the case is that I’m not, and it doesn’t. lol
Sizzle!
Ingredients:
2 stalks of lemongrass, finely minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3)
2 shallots, minced
1 bird’s eye chili, minced
2 tablespoons nuoc mam (fish sauce)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 pound beef rump roast, very thinly sliced, and then sliced into 1/2 inch strips
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
lettuce, herbs, chilies, bean sprouts, onions and cucumbers to garnish
peanut sauce and nuoc cham (fish sauce) for dipping (recipes follow)
Preparation:
Using a mortar and pestle, pound the lemongrass, garlic, shallots and chile into a paste.
Whisk the paste together with the fish sauce, lime juice, water and sesame oil.
Add beef strips and toss to coat well.
Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour (and up to 8).
Thread the strips of meat onto skewers and then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds on both sides.
Grill the beef skewers for about 1 minute on each side for medium rare. Since I like my meat more medium to medium well, we left them a little longer, about 2-3 minutes per side. The results were still very tender and juicy, with the added benefit of not having blood on my plate. 
Serve with the salad plate and dipping sauces (the peanut sauce was fabulous with these).
Now, for the sauces! The peanut sauce was by far my favorite of the two…I love, love, LOVE fish sauce, but this recipe was just not to my liking. It was way too sour, and too strong. I will post the recipe anyway, since I did make it for the Smackdown, but if you don’t want your mouth to implode upon itself from the extreme puckering, use another recipe for fish sauce. Seriously. The peanut sauce, however, was like a gift from the sauce Gods and Goddesses. Holy Moly that stuff was good. I loved the texture, and it had the perfect balance of spicy, salty and sweet. It complimented both the pork balls and the lemongrass beef fabulously, and would be kick-ass with spring rolls.
Let’s start with the peanut sauce, shall we?
Ingredients:
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp disolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons peanut oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons ground pork (that’s not a typo)
3 tablespoons fermented bean paste
1 cup water (about–I used about 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1-2 bird’s eye chilies, minced
lime juice to taste (optional–I didn’t add it)
Preparation:
Process the peanuts in a food processor until they are a sort of coarse powder.
Press the tamarind pulp through a sieve and reserve the liquid (discard the solids).
Heat oil in a saute pan and saute garlic until golden.
Add pork and cook through, breaking it up into small pieces as you go.
Add about half of the water, peanuts (save some for garnish), bean paste, sugar and chilies and stir to combine.
Add enough remaining water to achieve desired texture…it should be a thick sauce, yet still pourable.
(I deviated here, and ran the whole thing through the food processor again, because the pork was still pretty chunky)
And now the sauce that shall not be repeated ever again in my home. Even though it looks kinda pretty.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 bird’s eye chili, minced
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Store in an airtight container.
***Si quieres alguna de estas recetas en español, por favor escríbeme un correo y lo traduzco.
All those recipes look sooo delicious! I was wondering about that book, and now I think I must buy it. I can see why your nuoc chom was so tart! Not enough sugar! The recipe I use calls for equal parts fish sauce, mirin, rice vinegar and sugar, with a squeeze of lime at the end to perk it up (and garlic, scallions, chilies and carrots for garnish floaty things).
gorgeous entries! i’m all over that peanut sauce.
love the site’s new look, too!
Recipe explosion! I love it! The grilled badasses look, well, bad-ass!!
Peanut sauce is one of my favorite, favorite condiments. Ever. Lovely pics, Nikki!
Yeah, Michelle is such a hoot to read
These dishes are right up my alley Nikki:D
Those pork balls sound amazing, wow…just beautiful, I feel like they are seaoned so well just by looking at them!
All I can say is… Wow! That looks delicious and delicious and delicious and delicious.
Holy Cow! Your pork balls look amazing! Am I the only one who can hear the SNL skit playing in their head with Alec Baldwin sharing his Schweaty Balls?
Anyways, they would go great in Vietnamese Bun. We eat it a couple times a week, usually without any eat, but sometimes I want something heartier and those look fabulous!
The person (above) who said schweaty balls…I’m in stitches laughing so hard!
These recipes & photos are insanely delish girl! Girl can cook for sure.
I’m starving now–how do I get to the canary islands from Massachusetts? Left or right at the end of my driveway? :::hello?:::
I will eat your pork balls, but if you ever make pork nuts, I am out.
wow… and hey, this is a new look!
the lemongrass beef… i want to marry it
Those meatballs look really good wraps in the vibrant lettuce. Just look at that peanut dip…mmm…
Wow! What a feast! They all look so wonderful. I think I’m in love with those pork balls! I could definitely see them in a noodle bowl.
What kind of pork fat do you need? Did you buy it separately, or did you trim it off of your pork?
Wow, that IS a smackdown. That post must have taken you hours to write!! That stuff all looks completely droolworthy.
Love the new look of your blog!!
Julia, I TOTALLY agree that the sugar ratio was way off…I was able to salvage the sauce by adding more sugar and more water, but I’ll stick to Chuck’s recipe from now on. lol
Thanks Michelle! And thanks so much for hosting the event!
Thank you, Mark! And yes…these were totally bad-ass. hee!
Glad you like them, Val!
Cathy, they really were spectacular…this is going to be a regular round here.
Thank you, Katie!
Rayrena, BWAH-HA-HA-HA! Schweaty Balls…now THAT’S a phrase everyone needs to use more in their everyday conversation.
Dawn, from Mass? Not sure..I know there are flights out of Logan, though.
Flutter, I don’t think I could ever bring myself to make pork nuts. I’m not *that* adventurous. lmfao
Furious, should I get the beef’s number for you?
lmfao
Kevin, if you can believe it, they tasted even better than they look.
Hi Susan! The pork fat–I just asked my butcher to give me a little off of a fatty piece of pork she had in the case, I don’t know if it was the correct thing to do or not, but it worked. lol I think you could also just get a fattier cut and trim your own…you don’t need much. Maybe even lard would work?
RG, holy sheeeeit, this post actually *did* take me hours. lmfao My hubs was getting kind of pissed, because he wanted to use the computer. lmfao And thanks!
i’m green. green with envy. i don’t believe i’ve ever partaken of such a magnificent feast–a tragedy, wouldn’t you say?
i wanna bite some balls (exploding in laughter)
you got yourself some excellent balls-a-dipping action goin on there, eh?
(LOL that sounds much worse than when it was rehearsed in my head LOLLLLL)
You have been busy, Canary Girl!!!! All these recipes belong in a cookbook….YOURS!!!!!!
looks FABULOUS. WHOA. i feel like i could dive into the computer screen. great job on this one. and you’re not an asshole, ok? no asshole could nail these dishes.
have always not-loved vietnamese food my whole life, and just very recently dicovered the specific things that i love…mostly the grilled meats! have down beef and pork in similar marinades, but HAVE to try those pork meatballs!
That picture really does them justice. I can fully imagine what that would taste like. Really, really great job for the Smackdown. I missed the first two also, and likely will not be doing this one either. Love seeing the contributions though and look forward to the rest.
P.S. Pork balls!
These look gorgeous! Your pork balls are so round! And those sauces: count me in for the party.
Grace, I’d have to agree…Viet food is one of my favorites.
Rita, lmfao! Ball dipping? That sounds totally dirty.
Nina, thank you!
Never Full, aww, thanks! I still feel bad for not participating in the first two, though. lol
Thank you so much, Sarah!
Thank you, Melissa! And hee!
Eating club, I’ll be sure to set you a place.
Thanks!
Wow 4 incredible recipes! the pork balls (teehee) look incredible. I love the way of using regular pork instead of ground pork in them!
I ate real pork balls, pig testacles, no lie. They are called Rocky Mountain Oysters. They were awesome. Your pork balls look awesome. That beef looks awesome. You are one hell of a photographer. NEVER call yourself an asshole.
Pero Chica, ¿qué te ha dado? ¡¡¡Qué manera de cocinar!!! Que cosas tan ricas
Y las fotos tienen una luz guapísima.
What a great event! I like the idea a lot
Hey Nikki, I love the new look of your blog. Really Neat!
Those pork balls sound delicious!
wow!!! everything looks soooo good… this will be the next theme for my dinner party… thanks for sharing…
btw, great blog you have here….
My dear Nikki this look amazing and tasty!!! Fantàstico, te admiro tambièn por las fotos!!!! xxGloria
Judy, thanks! I thought that was cool, too. I think, though, that you might be able to sub ground, too.
Lori, are you serious? I don’t think I could do it…lol…and Thank you so much for complimenting my photography!
Gracias, Núria, guapa!
It’s so great to see you posting again!
Thanks, JMom!
Mikky, this would be a GREAT dinner party theme!! Yum.
Gracias, Gloria preciosa!! Siempre me llega al alma cuando alguien me echa flores a mis fotos.
Nikki! These are amazing! I want to be you when I grow up. When is the next cookbook coming out? I’m Jonesin’ for another!
Man, I am definitely putting those pork balls on my grill soon. Not only do they look and sound fabulous, but I have some pork fat in my freezer that I trimmed off the 7-lb pork shoulder I bought a while ago, and now I have something to do with it besides make cracklins’! Thanks!
Kim
This is the first time I have visited your blog. I would like to make the shredded pork enchiladas but I can’t see how many servings it yields (I don’t in your other recipes either). Could you tell me how many portions the recipe makes? Also, I can only find green salsa in bottles – do you know how many cups are in the jar you used? Great site!