Forget Phó’, scoot over Spring Rolls, back off Bánh Mis, and hit the road Hoisin. This Vietnamese inspired dish will dominate you all. Fragrant lemongrass kisses these gorgeous, caramelized pork patties. The sauce that smoothers the rice noodles is truly addictive, showcasing creamy almond butter with sweet, salty, citrusy, and smoky companions. One bowl of this ethnic indulgence and you’ll be hooked.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this easy-to-make recipe for Grilled Lemongrass Pork Meatballs with Crack Noodles.
1. Info for Grilled Lemongrass Pork Meatballs with Crack Noodles
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 min
- Servings: 4
- Calories: 523.71 kcal
2. Ingredients for Grilled Lemongrass Pork Meatballs with Crack Noodles
- 1 pound ground pork (or any ground meat or a vegetarian alternative)
- 1 stalk lemongrass (or use lime zest instead)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 handfuls rice noodles (or 3 clusters)
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 handful fresh parsley
- 1/2 handful fresh mint
- salt (staples)
- 4 cloves garlic (staples)
- 1 tablespoon soy oil (staples)
- chili powder (nice to haves)
- fresh chilies (nice to haves)
- cayenne pepper (nice to haves)
- sriracha (nice to haves)
3. Directions:
- Equipment: medium pot (for boiling water for rice noodles, grill pan, for the pork), medium bowl (for pork mixture), medium bowl (for dressing), strainer, large bowl, for mixing noodles and dressing
- Start by getting water boiling in a pot and heating up your grill pan.
- We’re only using the stalk of the aromatic lemon grass, which is the white part, you can peel back the rest and save for compost. Chop the lemongrass quite fine. Now slice the cloves of garlic and top with a pinch of salt. Using your knife blade to chop and rock, as well as the side of your knife to smear, work the garlic and salt together to form a heavenly, concentrated paste.
- In a medium bowl, add your ground pork, throw in the lemongrass and garlic, as well as the fish sauce, honey, soy oil, and a heavy-handed pinch of salt. Mix well with your hands, this is not the time to be dainty. We’re going to form these first into a golf ball shape, then smush them to become a free-form patty, with a personality. Place your patties into the hot, dry grill pan. The oil and honey in the mixture will provided enough of a gateway to caramelization.
- Drop the rice noodles into the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. You can give your patties a quick flip at this time.
- Meanwhile, let’s make the dressing for our addictive crack noodles. In a medium bowl, combine the almond butter, the zest of 3 limes, the juice of 2 limes, honey, fish sauce, and whisk together until cohesive. Now add smoked paprika, or additional pops of heat like chili powder, fresh chilies, cayenne pepper, or sriracha.
- Drain the rice noodles through a strainer. Take a moment to flip your patties one more time. The goal here is a dark, nearly burnt surface on the patty, showcasing the honey’s caramelization that develops through the glory of grilling.
- Toss the noodles with the dressing in a large bowl. Using two forks, pile a heaping helping of noodles on a plate and top with several lemongrass pork patties. Cut your lime into wedges and dot each plate with a few to offer an extra hit of acidity. Finally, roughly chop fresh parsley and mint and lightly scatter over your finished dish.
- Hot Tip: A fantastic vegetarian alternative to a meat ball is lentils, worked with flour, and shaped into a ball or patty.
- Hot Tip: Lemon grass can last weeks in the fridge and present a bright, fragrant aroma that can deepen many dishes.
- Hot Tip: When chopping fresh herbs, don’t chop them too fine or you’ll rob them of their flavor. Only roughly chop fresh herbs, keeping them rustic to elicit maximum flavor.