Lemongrass and Pork Meatballs with Rice
Similar to the popular Hanoi dish Bún Chả, these fragrant pork meatballs are flavoured with lemongrass and ginger. We've opted for a simple, sticky glaze to coat the meatballs and served with fresh carrot and a handful of mint alongside Jasmine rice, however we'd also recommend trying with vermicelli noodles.
Method
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
Use the heel of your knife to bash the lemongrass stalks and finely chop them along with the chilli and most of the spring onions. Combine in a large mixing bowl along with the grated ginger, grated garlic, fish sauce and 1/3 of the soy sauce. Alternatively, use a food processor or mini chopper to blitz these ingredients to a coarse paste.
Step 2
Combine the pork with the chopped ingredients and mix thoroughly with your hands adding a pinch of salt. Use your hands to shape the pork mixture into balls, roughly the size of golf balls. You should have enough to make 3-4 balls per person.
Step 3
Set a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the oil. Once hot, fry the meatballs in the oil, rolling them around to colour them on all sides. You may need to do this in batches if your pan isn’t big enough. Keep rotating the balls until deep brown in colour, about 6-8 minutes. Once browned, add a splash of water, cover with a lid and cook for a further 5 minutes until cooked through. Remove the lid, add the remaining soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce to the pan, turn up the heat and coat the balls in the sauce to glaze them.
Step 4
Cook the rice or noodles as per the instructions on the packet. Use a peeler to create long ribbons of carrot or finely chop them into matchsticks. Separate the little gem lettuce leaves.
Step 5
When you’re ready to serve, divide the rice (or noodles) into bowls and top with the sticky meatballs along with any extra sauce spooned over the top. Serve with a nest of carrot ribbons, a few lettuce leaves and a handful of mint. Garnish with the remaining spiring onions and tuck in!
- Ingredients
- Based on 4 servings
-
4 tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce 1x Sainsbury's Sweet Chilli Sauce 280g -
1 Red Chilli, seeds removed, roughly chopped 1x Sainsbury's Red Chillies 65g -
1 tbsp Fish Sauce 1x Blue Dragon Fish Sauce 150ml -
2 Lemongrass Sticks, roughly chopped 1x Sainsbury's Fresh Packed Lemongrass Sticks x2 -
1 Thmb-sized Piece Ginger, peeled and grated or roughly chopped 1x Sainsbury's Root Ginger Loose -
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and grated or chopped 1x Sainsbury's Garlic -
500g Pork Mince 1x Sainsbury's British Pork Mince 20% Fat 500g -
2 Carrots, peeled and made into ribbons or julienned 2x Sainsbury’s Carrots Loose -
2 Little Gem Lettuce, leaves separated 1x Sainsbury's Little Gem Lettuce x2 -
1/2 Bunch of Mint, leaves picked 1x Sainsbury's Fresh Packed Mint 30g -
500g Cooked Jasmine Rice, or vermicelli noodles 2x Sainsbury's Microwave Rice Thai 250g -
1 Bunch Spring Onions, sliced 1x Sainsbury's Spring Onions Bunch 100g -
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil 1x Sainsbury's Vegetable Oil 1L -
3 tbsp Soy Sauce 1x Sainsbury's Dark Soy Sauce 150ml