NINH HOA GRILLED MEATBALLS

Ninh Hoa Grilled Meatballs image

Provided by Molly O'Neill

Time 2h20m

Yield Four to six servings as an appetizer

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons potato starch
1 tablespoon bottled fish sauce (nuoc mam)
Vegetable oil for greasing the hands
2 small heads Boston lettuce, cored, with leaves separated

Steps:

In a bowl, mix the pork, pepper, garlic, sugar, cornstarch and potato starch and fish sauce. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Preheat a grill or broiler. With oiled hands, make 21 meatballs, each about 1 inch in diameter. (The mixture may be a bit loose.) If grilling, place 3 meatballs on each of 7 bamboo skewers. If broiling, place on a baking sheet or broiler pan. Grill or broil until the meatballs are deep brown and crisp on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from skewers.
Serve the hot meatballs with the lettuce leaves and nuoc cham dipping sauce (see recipe).

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 241, UnsaturatedFat 10 grams, Carbohydrate 6 grams, Fat 18 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 14 grams, SaturatedFat 6 grams, Sodium 281 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams, TransFat 0 grams