1kilogram(2 pounds) pork mince or chicken mince(ground pork or ground chicken)
cooking oil
Dipping sauce
4red bird's eye chilliesthinly sliced
4tablespoonsbrown sugar
3teaspoonsfish sauce
3teaspoonstamari or soy sauce
3tablespoonslime juice
To serve
1bunchbutter lettuce
2telegraph cucumbers
½red cabbage(shredded finely)
2tablespoonsroasted and crushed cashews or peanuts
4lime wedges or cheeks
sticky rice
Instructions
Flavour paste
Prepare the ingredients as described. Lemongrass can be prepared in a few ways. Always start by whacking the white part with a pestle or the back of a small cast iron skillet. Then remove the outer layers and the lemongrass and chop off the base of the white part.
You can either chop the lemongrass by slicing in to thin circles, then mincing and using a mortar and pestle. A microplane grater can also be used for the lemongrass (after peeling), garlic, ginger and eschalot/French shallot.OR you can add all the paste ingredients (including fish sauce) to a stick blender jar to blend.
All all the paste ingredients to a mixing bowl or food processor, evenly distributing. If mixing in a bowl, use a wooden spoon to do so or your hands. If using a food processor, pulse 5-6 times just until the ingredients are well mixed.
Preheat the oven to 160C/320F or you can use an air fryer at 140C/280F or if you'd prefer to cook them completely on the stovetop, then make them thinner or smaller.Form the mixture in to patties, using about 2 tablespoons for each one. If usng bamboo skewers they need to be soaked in advance.Then place on a tray ready for cooking.
Heat up a large skillet/frypan with some oil and brown the patties on each side, in 2 batches. Finish in the oven or air fryer for 10 minutes. If you aren't planning to eat all of the patties in one sitting - you can either freeze them before browning, or after browning, or after cooking completely. Just remember to finish cooking (or re-heating) them after defrosting.If you plan to eat them over 2-3 days, store them in the fridge after cooking completely and just re-heat them when you need.
Prepare the sticky rice beforehand.Mix up the sauce ingredients when ready to serve and prepare the accompanying elements to serve the skewers with.
Notes
I don't recommend using low fat chicken mince unless you can't find anything else
An eschalot or a French shallot looks like a slender brown onion - don't be confused and pick up spring onions (scallions)
I haven't tried replacing the fresh lemongrass with lemongrass paste in the tube or frozen lemongrass, but I've heard the latter is pretty good. I'm not sure how much to use of either though.
To make a half batch (makes 7-8, to serve 3 or 4 people):500g/1 pound pork mince (chicken mince also works well, preferably not too low in fat)3 lemongrass stalks, white parts only1 teaspoons fine grated ginger1 garlic cloves, finely minced½ eschallot (French shallot)3 tsp fish sauce2 tsp brown sugar½ tsp cooking salt¼ tsp white pepperDipping sauce2 red bird’s-eye chillies, thinly sliced2 tablespoons brown sugar1 ½ teaspoon fish sauce1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce1 ½ tablespoon water1 ½ tablespoon lime juice