Vietnamese Style Noodle Salad with Pork Meatballs

Western Australia was officially the hottest place on earth last Christmas Day.  With temperatures soaring to above 40C in Perth, the last thing anyone wants to do is slaving over a hot stove.  Turn some pork mince into tasty meatballs, cook outside on the barbecue and serve them in an Asian noodle salad.  This recipe is inspired by the Vietnamese 'Bun Cha' featuring lots of fresh herbs, raw and pickled vegetables as well as the quintessential 'nuoc mam' dipping sauce.  Cool and refreshing, this is a lovely meal for warm summer evenings.

*Skip the chillies if you don't like it spicy but do use plenty of fresh herbs. The meatballs can also be grilled or pan fried if you prefer.

Serves 3

INGREDIENTS

• 150g / 5¼oz dried rice vermicelli noodles
• a big handful beansprouts
• 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
• a handful coriander leaves
• a handful basil or mint leaves
• 1 cup pickled daikon & carrots
• 1 red cayenne chilli, chopped, for garnishing

For the meatballs:

• 500g / 1lb 2 oz pork mince
• 2-3 spring onions, finely chopped
• ¼ cup coriander stems and roots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce 
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 lemongrass, white part only, finely chopped
• pinch of white pepper

For the Nuoc Mam dipping sauce:

• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 red cayenne chilli, deseeded & finely chopped
  

METHOD

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil.  Add rice vermicelli noodles and cook for about 5 minutes or according to package instructions, stirring occasionally.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Leave in a colander to dry. 
2. In a large bowl, combine pork mince, spring onions, coriander stems and roots, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, lemongrass and pepper.  Mix well with your hands.
3. Shape mixture into little patties.  Wet your hands with a little water as you proceed to prevent from sticking.  Makes about 10-12.  Place them, separated from each other, on a large platter and refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm them up.
4. Cook meat patties on a hot barbecue, about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown all over.  Remove from heat.

For the Nuoc Mam dipping sauce:

1. In a small bowl, combine hot water with sugar.  Stir to dissolve sugar.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
3. Taste and adjust seasonings as required to achieve a balance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours.

To ensemble:

1. On each individual serving plate, place a portion of noodles and a few meatballs on top. 
2. Arrange fresh herbs, bean sprouts, cucumber slices, pickled daikon and carrots on the side.
3. Drizzle some of the dipping sauce over the meat patties and noodles.  Serve the rest of the sauce in small individual dishes.  Garnish with chopped chillies.