Fast & Fresh Vietnamese Meatball Salad

Vietnamese Meatball Salad

Dinner Express by George Georgievski, Published by Plum, RRP $29.99, Photography by Nikole RamsayVIETNAMESE MEATBALL SALAD

I love everything about Vietnamese cuisine and culture and I can’t wait to get back there to learn more. I especially love their use of fresh herbs and delicious marinades and dressings. Here is a simplified version of the popular dish, bun cha, which is absolutely off the charts.

Serves 4

Grab the following

  • 500 g pork mince
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 4–5 spring onions, finely sliced 1 teaspoon salt flakes
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Vietnamese Noodle Salad

  • 400 g vermicelli rice noodles
  • 1 carrot, julienned
  • 1 Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded and sliced into half moons
  • 1 long red chilli, deseeded and julienned (optional)
  • 6–8 lettuce leaves of your choice, roughly chopped
  • 1⁄3 cup coriander leaves

Vietnamese Dressing

  • 125 ml (1⁄2 cup) water
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 21⁄2 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped long red chilli

Time to get cracking

  1. To make the dressing, place the ingredients in a jar, screw on the lid and give it a good shake.
  2. Grab a bowl and drop in the mince, fish sauce, lemongrass, garlic, sugar, spring onion and salt. Using your hands, give it a good mix and make sure all the ingredients are well combined.
  3. I like to make traditional-looking Vietnamese meatballs. Spoon a tablespoon of the mince mixture into your hand and form it into a flattish, rounded meatball that’s about half the size of your palm. Set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining mince mixture to make about 12 meatballs.
  4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Working in batches, cook the meatballs for about 3 minutes each side, until they are caramelised and cooked through.
  5. To make the noodle salad, cook the vermicelli noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain and rinse under running water until cold (you can also cook the noodles ahead of time and store them in the fridge if you prefer). Thoroughly drain the noodles, then transfer to a salad bowl.
  6. Add the carrot, cucumber, chilli (if using), lettuce and coriander to the noodles. Add some of the Vietnamese dressing and toss well to combine. Place the meatballs on top of the salad and serve, while shaking your head in amazement at how much of a flavour punch this dish has.

Bonus stuff

Pork is predominately used in Vietnam for these meatballs, but you can also use chicken or turkey mince in this recipe, plus cold chicken tastes awesome which means you’ll have an amazing lunch the next day.