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Bon Appétit

Grilled Spicy Pork Meatballs with Nuoc Cham

Pork Meatball Skewers with Nuoc Cham
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Kat Boytsova

If you’re not set up for grilling or the weather doesn’t permit, a cast-iron grill pan will also do the trick for making these spicy, gingery, umami-packed meatballs. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your skillet.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 20

Ingredients

1 2" piece fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves, divided
2 lb. ground pork
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
¼ cup plus 2 tsp. hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
4 Tbsp. fish sauce, divided
4 tsp. sugar, divided
½ cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more for grill

Special Equipment

Twenty 8" metal or wooden skewers

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    If you’re using wooden skewers, soak in water 30 minutes.

    Step 2

    Finely grate ginger and 4 garlic cloves into a medium bowl. Add pork, salt, ½ cup cilantro, ¼ cup chili paste, 2 Tbsp. fish sauce, and 2 tsp. sugar and mix well with your hands to combine.

    Step 3

    Form pork mixture into 20 oblong (football-ish) balls. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet or large plate and chill at least 15 minutes and up to 8 hours.

    Step 4

    Meanwhile, whisk lime juice and remaining 1 Tbsp. cilantro, 2 tsp. chili paste, 2 Tbsp. fish sauce, 2 tsp. sugar, and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl until combined. Finely grate remaining garlic clove into nuoc cham and stir to combine.

    Step 5

    Prepare a grill for medium heat. Lightly oil grate. Thread 2 balls lengthwise onto 2 skewers, repeating to make 10 skewers with 2 meatballs on each. (Using 2 skewers stabilizes the meatballs so that they won’t spin around when you turn them on the grill.)

    Step 6

    Drizzle meatballs with 2 Tbsp. oil. Grill meatballs, turning occasionally, until well charred and just cooked through, 7–9 minutes. Let cool slightly. Remove from skewers and transfer to a platter. Serve nuoc cham alongside.

TagsMeatballSkewerVietnameseSoutheast AsianAsianGround PorkPorkMeatSummerQuickEasyWeeknight MealsMainDairy FreeNut FreeGluten FreeKetoGrillingDinnerBon Appétit

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