Pork Meatballs

Ingredients

Aromatics

• 1 lemongrass stalk (white part only), bruised and cut into rings
• 5 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 ½cm (1in) piece of galangal, finely chopped
• 3 red bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
• 3 lime leaves, stalks removed and leaves finely chopped
• 30g (1 cup) fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Protein

• 500g (1lb) minced (ground) pork

Seasoning

• 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (gluten-free brands are available)

Sweeteners

• 1 tsp clear honey (or grated palm sugar)

Fat

• 3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil

Serving

• Lime wedges, to serve (optional)

Method

Stage 1 - Prepare Paste

1. Place the lemongrass in a pestle and mortar and pound to a fine paste.
2. Add the spring onions (scallions), garlic, galangal, chillies and lime leaves and pound until you have a nice paste and the ingredients are thoroughly combined. This should only take about 5 minutes.

Stage 2 - Mix Meatballs

1. Transfer to a bowl and add the honey or palm sugar, fish sauce, coriander (cilantro) and pork, then mix this all up with your hands. For a finer finish, you can blend this mixture in a food processor.
2. Form into about twenty balls roughly 3 ¾cm (1 ½in) in diameter. At this point you could use them in a soup by simmering them in the broth.

Stage 3 - Cook

1. To serve as a starter, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
2. When hot, add the meatballs and brown them all over, moving them around the pan regularly.
3. After about 3-5 minutes they should be nicely browned and cooked through.
4. Serve immediately with a squeeze of lime juice if desired.