Vietnamese Herb Meat Balls
February 17th, 2008 by Rumblefish
As delicious as they sound. makes about 16 small Vietnamese herb meat balls.
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
3 small shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1teaspoon minced ginger root
1 stalk of fresh lemon grass, tender white inner bulb only, minced
3 heaping tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus 1/3 cup leaves for serving
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint, plus 1/3 cup leaves for serving
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup granulated sugar (optional–I leave out this step)
1 head Boston or red leaf lettuce, leaves separated
1 small seedless cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 small red onion, halved and sliced or use radishes
Asian chili sauce, for serving
directions
Preheat the oven to 400??. Position a rack in the top third of the oven. In a food processor, pulse the chicken until coarsely ground; transfer to a bowl. Add the fish sauce, shallots, garlic, lemon grass, chopped cilantro and mint, cornstarch, salt and pepper and mix with your hands. I advise making a small test meatball, cooked in a skillet or microwave, to adjust seasonings, if you like.
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the sugar on a plate. Using slightly moistened hands, roll the chicken mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll the meatballs in the sugar until they are evenly coated. Transfer the meatballs to the prepared baking sheet and bake them for 15 minutes, until they are lightly browned and cooked through.
Meanwhile, arrange the lettuce, cilantro and mint leaves, cucumber and onion on a platter. Transfer the meatballs to the platter and serve with chili sauce.