Do you ever get into a rut of making the same old favorites for dinner week after week? I often cook new things but I give in to requests for someone’s favorite dish of the day. Today was no old favorite but it’s going to be soon.
Who doesn’t like food on a stick? Nobody, I know. I made Vietnamese grilled pork patties on skewers and served them with a pickled vegetable salad with fresh herbs and two wonderful sauces and some rice. I ate like I was a skinny person.
This whole meal is easy although there are quite a few ingredients. I started the pickled vegetable salad the night before so the flavours would have time to develop. The pickling liquid is a bit of rice wine vinegar and some sugar, garlic and chilli and pop the carrots in. The cucumbers have no chilli or garlic – even easier.
Why Vietnamese? I was trolling the net yesterday and found an Australian website that does all sorts of tours around the world. The tours that caught my attention first were food tours to all sorts of wonderful places like Cambodia, Italy, Morocco, Peru, Argentina and others. I sat there for the longest while imagining myself trekking through Peru tasting everything I could get my hands on.
My Adventure Travel also has a search box on their front page that’s auto filled with suggestions and the first one that came up was Vietnam and instantly I knew that was going to be my first ‘interesting’ meal. My getaway from the same old meal. I went off in search of inspiration.
I fell for the food on a stick and the peanut sauce and the dipping sauce, plus that pickled vegetable salad was speaking to me too. Off to the shop for ingredients and I was in business.
- 2 tablespoons jasmine rice
- 500g (1 pound) pork mince
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 egg
- 3 green spring onions, ends trimmed, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped or minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 8 bamboo skewers
- Soak bamboo skewers in water.
- Heat a small frying pan to medium and add the rice. Stir for four or five minutes until the rice is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes than place in a mortar and pound with a pestle until finely crushed.
- In a large bowl, add the crushed rice, pork mince, egg, spring onions, garlic, fish sauce and sugar and mix well to combine.
- With wet hands form 24 uniform balls and thread three patties on each skewer. Refrigerate the pork skewers for 30 minutes before placing on a hot grill (or grill pan) for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through.
- Serve with pickled vegetable salad, dipping sauce and peanut sauce for happy faces everywhere.
The pickled vegetables are perfect with the meatballs – you really must try this salad. It’s wonderful
- 4 large carrots, peeled, cut into thin matchsticks
- (1/2 cup) rice wine vinegar
- (1/4 cup) water
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 red birdseye chilli, deseeded, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 Lebanese cucumbers, ends trimmed, halved lengthways, thinly sliced diagonally
- (1/2 cup) rice wine vinegar
- (1/4 cup) water
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Butter lettuce leaves
- Bean sprouts
- Fresh mint leaves
- Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
- Fresh ThaI basil leaves
- Add the carrots, vinegar, water, sugar, salt, chilli and garlic in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 6 hours or overnight
- Add the cucumbers, vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a medium glass or ceramic bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 6 hours overnight
- Drain the carrots and cucumbers. Arrange the lettuce, carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts, mint, coriander and basil on a serving platter.
Finally, once you make these sauces, the pork patty skewers and the pickled vegetable salad, you’ll be like me who said all through dinner, “I want to go to Vietnam if this is how they eat!”
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 long fresh red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped
- 80g (1/2 cup) unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped
- 125ml (1/2 cup) water
- 2 teaspoons peanut butter (or as much as you like)
- 80ml (1/3 cup) coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon tamarind puree
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped palm sugar
- Place a small frying pan over medium heat and add the oil, garlic and chilli and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
- Add the chopped peanuts and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Add the water and coconut milk and stir until well combined. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Add the tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar and stir to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool before serving
- 60ml (1/4 cup) water
- 60ml (1/4 cup) fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped palm sugar
- 1 tablespoon shredded carrots
- ½ stem lemon grass, pale section only, finely chopped
- 2 long fresh red chillies, deseeded, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Combine all ingredients in a large measuring cup and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
LOL!
You ate like a skinny person, so funny!
These look so delicious, I would be happy to eat like a skinny person every day if they were on offer. Vietnamese flavours are so good!!! If you visit I am coming along with you!
Oh, I choked laughing on the “I ate like a skinny person” – you are too much!!!!! Priceless!!!!!
ok, now that I dried the tears of laughter from my face, let me say that I made pickled cucumbers for the first time this past weekend and I am hooked. I think I’ll start a process of picking the universe, one veggie at a time. Stay tuned
now, on to the patties on skewers – I love the concept and tried it once, but it was tragic. My patties crumbled during grilling and it was a royal mess and a very very unattractive meal that followed. what’s the secret for success with this?
Most of the recipes I found while researching didn’t have an egg. I looked at the ingredient list and thought, “that’s going to fall off the skewer and be a pain, I’m gonna add an egg.” I won’t say I wasn’t careful flipping them over but they stayed together. I love making pickles too!
I usually eat like a skinny person. And I used to be skinny! Once. 😉 A habit I’m finally getting out of, but I’d sure ditch it if I had this in front of me. I love Vietnamese food. Almost never make it, though. I need to get in the habit — starting with this. Thanks.
I just bought ground pork but haven’t decided what to do with it yet. This looks DELICIOUS, Maureen. 🙂
Maureen this is my kind of food…. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm mmmmmmmm!
Perfect meal! Looks absolutely delicious Maureen! I think you would be a wonderful food tour guide. Have a lovely weekend! 🙂
What tasty, savory looking skewers!
G’day and YUM Maureen, true!
WHO doesn’t love anything on a stick…and peanut sauce too!
WISH I could try one of these right now!
Cheers! Joanne
Skewers are so much fun! Dipping them in those sauces….yes, happy faces everywhere! Thanks, Maureen! 🙂 ela
These skewers look wonderful my friend, so flavoursome 😀
Can never get tired of Viet food!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
You would like the pickled salad and the sauces. The pork skewers not so much. 🙂 I wonder what vego delight you could make that would be just as good as pork.
Mmm, I am a sucker for vietnamese food, it looks so delicious!
I bet this sauce is a winner!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I love food on a stick! This looks delicious and light too. BTW Maureen, I made your chocolate chocolate muffins today and they were incredibly good 😀 I’m not even normally a muffin person too!
These skewers look very tasty! They remind me of vecapcici that my husband really loves.
I think this is my idea of a perfect meal. Seriously. Just perfect.
I make and eat Vietnamese food quite often. I have some similar recipes on my blog! Totally love this dish. I could eat it every day. And then I would be skinny!
That Vietnamese Peanut Sauce would have me dipping and eating everything in sight – and those pickled carrots and cucumbers sound like a wonderful accompaniment! Glad you picked Vietnam!
By the way – the my adventure store link has an extra “.au” on it and not connecting directly.
Well, I guess I just assumed that’s where I’d been since it was in Australia. 🙂 I’ll fix it, thanks a lot!
Gorgeous patties. I’d make them today if it wasn’t so very very cold. So cold that the inch thick glossy ice areas on my parking spot meant I slipped and fell today when I got home from work. Luckily I was able to lever myself up by opening the car door and levering myself up using the car frame. Between the 2 bad knees and the bad hips there was a moment of panic there thinking I’d never be able to get up.
I would like to place an order to go if that’s not too much trouble?
Meaning they look DELISH and I want some but I don’t feel well enough to cook. Now I’m hungry which is good but I’ve only got some cereal to eat. You have both made and ruined my day. 🙂
LOL I’m grateful and I apologize in the same sentence. 🙂
What is it about putting food on a stick that makes it taste even better? Yum yum Maureen!
Hi Maureen, I love Vietnamese food, with all the fresh veggies used to accompany the dish. Look delicious!
I love Vietnamese food, what an exceptional meal!
I like food on sticks! I’ve made a pickled salad before for a Thai dish and it was really good – I ate so much of it. I thought the vegetables would go soggy but they didn’t; they stayed crisp. If there’s something to dip in peanut sauce I’ll eat too much of it xx
Pork patties never looked or sounded so delicious. Yum!!!!!
Wow, this is my kind dish!! I love all the Asian flavors you have here and I could eat these skewers and feel like I was heaven. Amazing job!
I can’t wait until we head to Maine for the summer and we roll out the grill. This sounds like a terrific meal that I will enjoy as will the guests that come to visit us, I’m sure.
I have only eaten Vietnamese food in restaurants. These look very delicious. I would eat these like a famished person 😀
i love food on sticks! they are just so much fun to serve and eat 😀
My husband would go crazy for these and I have a feeling these will become a family favorite at our house 😉
Yummy! All the flavors in this dish are so good. I can practically drink peanut sauce!
Yum! I love the look of that salad with all the fresh herbs. I’ve never been to Vietnam either but that’s one place I would really like to explore one day.
Your skewers and salad look terrific. Exotic, but not so off the beaten track that Bill would turn his nose up at them! Win for me, win for him 🙂
What a lovely dish for meat and rice lovers!
Raising hand … I like food on a stick. And these sound really good. Love that photo of all of the vegetables and greens.
Dear Maureen, Sounds like a delicious and healthy meal. Blessings dear. Catherine xo
I think I could eat the whole lot in one sitting. This looks too good!
Pork on a Stick!? I am there (sigh, drool, sigh)
So yummy! Thank you so much for all the recipes! :o)
This is pretty much my dream meal. Pickles and meat in bite-sized portions.
Oh my heavens!! This looks like a dish I have at one of our local Vietnamese restaurants… so good! I’m going to have to try this
I Vietnamese food as love all the fresh vegetables and herbs. I know that Asian recipes always has a long ingredient list but I am used to that and this meal I a certain would come together quickly. Pinning recipe so I can make it later.
What a wonderful meal. So light and refreshing.
My kind of meal. I like food on a stick. Thanks for sharing.
The skewers sound delicious. I have never tried Vietnamese or south east Asian cooking for that matter. I think I am going to give these a try very soon.
Please write a note to yourself that this is what I would like when I come to visit. Is that being rude? I’m only asking because this looks absolutely fantastic! I love meals like this, so fresh, healthy and delicious. Actually, if I ever got to visit you, I’d be so excited I could probably eat Spam and not even notice 🙂
If I would cook it for my men – I think he’d be happiest men in the world. Definitely have to try!
My favorite flavour profiles Maureen- yummo!
I love that it’s served with all the yummy fresh vegetables and herb making it a fresh and tasty dish.
This looks SO good. I’m going to make this soon–the pickled salad sounds good, and I’m all for dips.
I love food on a stick but I’ve never used minced meat. What a smart idea! Love the flavors and all of the Vietnamese sides are great, but that dipping sauce if just downright fabulous! What a meal!
I love this recipe. I will make it with beef- I don’t eat beef- and I can not wait to try the pickled vegetables.
How wonderful this is such a gorgeous combination and I loved pickled vegetables – plus – do ahead! The balance with the pork patties (I adore meat on a stick) and satay sauce is incredible. Great post 😀
That looks divine with great flavours. I love how you arranged the salad.
Just adore Vietnamese food and it’s also on my wish list of travel places! I’ve made a Thai style version of this before now so I’ll bookmark this one for a day when I fancy Vietnamese – thanks!
I want to run into my kitchen right now, and make these beauties! Looks smashing. You are such a great cook Maureen!
I LOVE Vietnamese food, and this looks delicious! That reminds me I’ve got to make some soon…the summer rolls are so good but a pain to make.
Maureen – this sounds freaking amazing!!! My kind of meal – but these things take time too with all the washing and chopping and 2 sauces. Doing the salad the night before was brilliant.
You feeling better?
I’ve recently been into pickling veggies too! Adds a lovely depth of flavor to the salad. I love all the freshness going on here. The mini pork skewers are so cute!
I just love Vietnamese and I can eat it like I am a skinny person too!. Theses are a really good ida that I think might get me out of the dinner rut. i’m gonna make them with chickens balls!
Woah! I love Vietnamese and these pork skewers look incredible. WANT!!!!!
Yum! I love Vietnamese food and these skewers look delicious. WANT!
‘ I ate WAY too many of these and have no regrets’
LOL Maureen, yep who doesn’t love food on a stick?!
i love that they are in bite size skewer form bc I imagine the flavor stands out even more
Wow what a wonderful dish and so many luscious flavors, my mouth would certainly be dancing. I can see this with chicken and fish as well. It’s so beautiful and full of color. Each recipe can be used separately with other dishes or combined as you have it. Love this! Thanks for sharing.
a great recipe meal to have, i love those skewers how been cooked 🙂
Yum! That looks crazy delicious and healthy, and I’m especially happy to have a good dipping sauce recipe, thank you. I’m still trying to figure out if “ate like a skinny person” means eating a little or a lot.. 🙂
Ever watched a skinny person eat?? They eat like they are on their last meal. 🙂
These look so good I had to pin them before I read the post! If you need a travel partner let me know, if I take a vacation it’s always planned around food! I can’t wait to make these!
these skewers look so appetizing! yum!
Yes mam – I do get in a rut sometimes. But these recipes are inspiring. Like a mini-vacation 🙂
Eating food on a stick is just so primal, I love it! And I am really liking this recipe and your presentation Maureen. I admit, we do get in a food rut around here sometimes. I love to surprise Marion with adventurous meals though and I think she would really enjoy this one! Off to check out that site. Thanks for sharing, Maureen…
These look amazing!
I am so gonna make these for the next BBQ we will have hopefully soon. The weathers been unseasonably warm so fingers crossed but in emergencies I’m sure we could do this in bad weather as well. Looks delicious,
These Vietnamese meatballs look great…I am impressed that you used fish sauce…so tasty.
Thanks for the recipe Maureen…hope you are having a wonderful week 😀
i LOVE nem nuong! love how your one isnt that lucid red colour either!
Its 10 in the morning. Why is this post making me hungry for dinner?! On the other hand, at 10 in the morning there is still time to go get the ingredients so that I can make this for dinner!! Maureen, these skewers and salad look and sound wonderful! No wonder you “ate like a skinny person”! (You had me laughing out loud at that visual.) I plan to do the same. 🙂
I am awed that your inspired culinary research ended up with this meal.
Maureen, oh how I wish I could eat like a skinny person! For me, moderation will need to stay in tact, however, this tasty looking dish covers the food groups. And it’s on a stick no less. I adore Asian food…this gem has been pinned.
That looks like an Asian style kofta, love this recipe
Hi Maureen – these sound fabulous! Mmmm!
I eat Vietnamese food once a week. I love the simple and delicious food. Really nice dish, and yeah who doesn’t like food on skewers. My kids love it and one time they insisted on using a skewer to eat the rest of meal after they’re done with eating the food off skewer (I know, it’s not very well manner). I guess it’s fun to eat food differently once in a while!
Yippeee! I especially like the look of the Peanut Sauce. I can imagine just eating it simply over a bed of rice!
What a pretty, fresh, and flavorful meal this is! It looks really delicious!
These sound delicious! I was in Vietnam for a month last December and absolutely loved the food there!
Maureen, great recipe idea especially since I love Vietnamese food 🙂
Beauty, color, spice, flavor, warmth…what is not to love about this recipe?! This dinner combo will make any week-night a date-night, I bet 🙂
Madly in love with the third picture, dear Maureen!
Happily rated 5 star to this recipe.
I made these a few nights ago, and they were so good! They were eaten up before I good snap pics. 😉
I’ve made this and my family and friends all liked them. The fish sauce is the key.