Recipes

Usually filled with beef this dish brings back fond memories of an older lady cooking on a wire rack over open coals in Saigon, street food at its best and really impressive at bbq’s.

Ingredients

150gr lamb mince

1 tbl spoon roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped

3cm piece of lemongrass white part only, chopped finely

½ teaspoon caster sugar

½ teaspoon fish sauce

1 Pinch five spice powder

2 tbl spoons spring onion, chopped

¼ teaspoon sesame oil

½ garlic clove, peeled and minced

4 mint leaves, chopped

10 lge betel leaves

2 bamboo skewers, soaked

100 ml nuoc cham (see below)

 

Nuoc Cham Ingredients

 

2 cloves garlic
50ml (2fl oz) fish sauce
50ml (2fl oz) lime juice
50ml (2fl oz) rice vinegar
2 small red chillies, sliced thinly
70g (2¾oz) caster sugar

 

To make Nuoc Cham

 

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients and
stir until sugar dissolves. Leave to stand for at
least 30 minutes before serving.

 

Method

In a bowl combine all the ingredients apart from the betel leaves and mix together.

 

Make sure the betel leaves are clean and then place them smooth side down, divide the mixture between the leaves being careful not to over fill them. Fold in the sides then roll the leaves into neat parcels threading them on to the skewers one at a time. Brush with a little oil and chargrill for roughly 3 minutes each side. Or you can pan-fry on med heat if desired.

 

Serve with nuoc cham

 

All recipes and images are from the "Red Spice Cookbook" by John McLeay, published by New Holland. All rights reserved