Vietnamese Lemongrass Meatballs

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Servings: 4
Yield: 4 servings

Description

These tasty Vietnamese meatballs with lemongrass are perfect served over a bowl of rice or wrapped in lettuce cups. They also make wonderful appetizers.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground pork
1/4 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
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 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

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2 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.
3 Bake in the preheated oven until meatballs are no longer pink in the center and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing water, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, Thai chile, and garlic in a small bowl.
5 Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
6 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.