cup (250 ml) Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip (page 175)
Filling
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz (125 g) lean pork, diced
½ lb (250 g) small or medium raw prawns, peeled (or 4 oz or 125 g peeled raw prawns)
4 oz (125 g) cooked crabmeat, or additional 4 oz (125 g) pork
1 spring onion, minced
4 teaspoons fish sauce
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
handful (1 oz or 30 g) transparent noodles, soaked in hot water to soften, drained, cut in ¾ in (2 cm) lengths
Prepare the Filling by processing the shallots, garlic, and pork in a food processor until the pork is finely ground. Add the prawns, crabmeat (if using), spring onion, fish sauce, and pepper and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the noodles.
Put a large bowl of warm water and a clean kitchen towel on a bench or table. Dip a rice paper in the water for 4 to 5 seconds, remove it, and spread on the towel; if you are using wedge-shaped rice papers, put the pointed end facing away from you. Smooth the rice paper with your fingers until soft and pliable. Repeat until you have six to eight softened rice papers on the towel.
Put about 2 teaspoons of the Filling across the wider part of a wedge rice paper, or across each round rice paper, placing it about 1¼ in (3 cm) from the bottom edge. Wet your fingers slightly and shape each portion of filling into a cigarette shape about 2 in (5 cm) long. Rinse and dry your hands and then fold up the end closest to you. Tuck in both sides, squeezing gently to make sure there isn't any air trapped, then roll up firmly. Put on a plate, making sure rolls do not touch each other. Repeat until all the rolls are prepared.
To prepare Accompaniment, wash, drain, and dry lettuce, both lots of mint and coriander. Divide between two large serving plates. Wash and drain bean sprouts and add to herbs. Put fish sauce dip into small sauce bowls.
Heat a wok for 30 seconds, then add oil for deep frying. When the oil is moderately hot (but not smoking), add several of the spring rolls, one at a time, taking care not to overcrowd the wok. Fry over medium heat until golden brown and cooked, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them sticking together and to ensure they are golden brown all over. Drain and serve hot with the dip and salad platter and prepared accompaniments.
To eat, each person puts a spring roll on a lettuce leaf, adding some of the herbs and bean sprouts. The leaf is tucked up and dipped in the sauce before eating.
Note: If you want to prepare the spring rolls in advance, cook them until light golden, about 3 minutes. Drain them on paper towel and keep at room temperature. Just before serving, re-heat the oil until very hot, then fry the spring rolls for about 1 minute until golden brown and crisp.
Serves: 4-6 Preparation time: 45 min Cooking time: 25 min
barbecued pork balls nem nuong
When the wonderful fragrance of grilling meat fills the streets of Vietnam each evening, chances are that these pork balls will be among the items sizzling away. Balls of lightly seasoned minced pork threaded onto skewers are cooked over charcoal, giving off little bursts of fragrance as drops of oil hit the hot coals. The pork balls are served with fresh herbs, lettuce, and bean sprouts, and normally accompanied by Vietnamese Salted Soybean & Peanut Sauce; you could, however, serve Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip if you prefer.
3½ oz (100 g) hard pork fat, in one piece
1¼ lb (600 g) lean pork shoulder or leg, thinly sliced
4 shallots, finely minced
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons roasted rice powder (page 18)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salted Soybean, Pork & Peanut Sauce (page 178) or Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip (page 175)
Accompaniments
2 butter lettuce, washed, leaves separated
1¼ cups (100 g) bean sprouts
sliced cucumber
1-2 small star fruit, thinly sliced across, optional
1 cup loosely packed mint sprigs
1 cup loosely packed Asian basil or coriander leaf
Put the pork fat into a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring to the boil, simmer 10 minutes, then drain. When cool enough to handle, chop the fat into tiny pieces the size of a rice grain. Put the fat in a large bowl and add the pork, shallots, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate at least I hour, or overnight if preferred.
Process the marinated mixture until it forms a paste. Add the toasted rice powder, pulse for 3 to 4 seconds to blend, then transfer the pork mixture to a bowl. Put the oil into a small bowl and smear some on the palms of your hands. Rub oil onto a plate.
Shape the pork paste into balls about ¾ in (2 cm) in diameter, squeezing firmly, then put the pork balls on the oiled plate. When all meat balls have been prepared, thread onto bamboo skewers, leaving at least ½ in (1 cm) between each meat ball.
Put all the accompaniments (washed and dried where relevant) on a serving plate. Heat a table top griller or barbecue until very hot. Cook the skewers of pork, turning to brown all over, until done, about 10 minutes. Serve with the Accompaniments and individual bowls of dip. To eat the pork balls, slide them off the skewers, and put I or 2 at a time in a lettuce leaf with some of the herbs, bean sprouts, and cucumber. Spoon over a little of the sauce then roll up, dunking the roll into more of the sauce or the dip before eating.
Serves: 4 Preparation time: 30 min + 1 hour marinating Cooking time: 15 mins
extraordinary beef satay sate istimewa
When I lived in Indonesia, I discovered that the best satay were invariably served in private homes. Friends from Southern Sulawesi kindly shared their family recipe; the name, istimewa, aptly translates as "extraordinary." Cubes of beef are marinated in sweet soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lime juice, spices, and grated kaffir lime rind, with a dash of vodka or brandy (my friends are Christian, so the Muslim ban on alcohol doesn't apply). There's so much flavor in the satay that there's no need to serve it with a peanut dip.
⅓ cup (85 ml) sweet soy sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons
