Grilled Vietnamese Meatballs Recipe

How to make it

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• In a large bowl, mix the Beef, Pork, Garlic, White Pepper, Red Peppers, Cilantro, and Fish Sauce.
• Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for at least half an hour -- overnight is even better.
• Roll meat mixture into 12 balls (that's 3 meatballs per small serving plate -- always odd numbers please).
• Grilled them 5 minutes on one side, then 5 minutes on the other,
• While the meatballs are grilling, quickly prepare the two sauces below.
• Chocolate Black Bean Sauce
• Ingredients
• 1 - red hot Chili Pepper, sliced thinly
• 1 oz - Bittersweet Dark Cholcolate (I use Hershey's Special Dark)
• 2 Tbls - Fermented Black Soy Beans (available in Asian markets, also called Salted Black Beans)
• 1/4 cup - Hot Water
• In a bowl, soak the Fermented Black Soy Beans in the hot water.
• Remove the softened, hot beans to a small, shallow serving bowl. Add the Chocolate, and 1 Tsp of the hot bean rinse water. Mash the beans and melting chocolate together into a paste - use more rinse water if you need to for a smooth consistency. Add the Red Hot Pepperslices and continue mashing and mixing for about 30 seconds more.
• Dipping Sauce
• Ingredients
• 1 - Red Hot Thai Chile Pepper, chopped to bits & pieces
• 2 Tbls - Nuoc Mam, Vietnamese Fish Sauce (see above in meatball ingredients). Note: Again, use no additional salt in this recipe.
• 2 Tbls - Vietnamese Seasoning Sauce (Try Golden Mountain) or you can use Soy Sauce
• Put the Red Hot Thai Pepper bits & pieces in a small shallow serving bowl, and add the Fish Sauce and the Seasoning Sauce. You're done.
• Place an odd number of meatballs on each serving dish alongside a generous dollop of the Chocolate Fermented Black Bean Sauce. Garnish with whole Cilantro sprigs and sprinkles of minced Scallions and Red Thai Pepper bits. Serve the Dipping Sauce in separate sauce bowls.