VIETNAMESE LEMONGRASS MEATBALLS

Vietnamese Lemongrass Meatballs image

We enjoy these tasty meatballs served over a bowl of rice or wrapped in lettuce cups. They're balanced with flavors of spicy, salty, tangy, and sweet, and also make wonderful appetizers. Leftover meatballs may be stored in the freezer in a resealable plastic bag.

Provided by lutzflcat

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground pork
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons lemongrass paste (such as Gourmet Garden®)
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger root
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white sugar, or more to taste
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 small Thai chile pepper, minced
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine ground pork, bread crumbs, shallot, lemongrass paste, mint, fish sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger root, and salt in a large bowl. Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, shape mixture into meatballs, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until meatballs are no longer pink in the center and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing water, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, Thai chile, and garlic in a small bowl.
Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
Place meatballs under the hot broiler just until the tops start to turn brown to get a little color and crispness, about 2 minutes. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 306.3 calories, Carbohydrate 16.3 g, Cholesterol 73.6 mg, Fat 16.5 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 22.2 g, SaturatedFat 6.1 g, Sodium 1589.1 mg, Sugar 7.9 g