Vietnamese Meatball Lettuce Wraps

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This is a delicious, lighter version of a meatball. Lots of fresh flavors with the carrots, cilantro, scallion and lettuce, yet so satisfying. I love the hot and cold mix of the meatballs and rice in a lettuce wrap. All the textures, with lots of crunch work really well. For the recipe I left in the chili pepper, because I love a little bit of heat, but when I cook for my kids I need to keep that out, so you have options. The recipe calls for ground pork, but chicken or even turkey would work too.

Tips:

• The original recipe called for cooking the meatballs in a wok on the stovetop. This creates a delicious crust on the outside, but also is more time consuming and messy. I think baking the meatballs on a high heat gives you a similar texture and allows you to step away from the dish for a bit. I do this with my Italian meatballs too.

• Some sticky, sushi rice with a little rice wine vinegar would be delicious alongside this dish.

Vietnamese Meatball Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4

PREP 15 minutes

COOK 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ground pork

1/3 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for serving

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 scallions, white and light green parts minced and dark green, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons fish sauce, divided

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons white sugar, divided

1/2 cup lime juice, from about 1 lime

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1-2 serrano chilies, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded

Bibb lettuce to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl combine the pork, 3 tablespoons water, cilantro, black pepper, minced scallions, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and the 2 teaspoons of sugar. Mix well. The mixture will be soft and sticky.

3. Moisten your hands (sorry if that bothers you) with water and form the mixture into about 20 meatballs. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, flipping the meatballs halfway through cooking.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the lime juice, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of sugar, soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of water and the chilies. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.

5. Toss the shredded carrots with 2 tablespoons of lime juice and serve with the meatballs, sprigs of cilantro, sliced parts of scallions, and lettuce leaves for wrapping. Spoon the sauce on top.