another one of my favourite dishes, this one draws inspiration from the classic vietnamese ‘com tam’. it’s herbaceous and fresh thanks to the delightful herbs and veggies, yet rich and nourishing from the savory pork patties, and perfectly yolky fried eggs. top it all with some pickly and crunchy bits for punch and texture, and everything sings in haaaarmonyy! crack open that egg, mix everything together, and dig innnn. you can freeze extra raw patties for up to 3 months. pan fry or grill from frozen for an extra few minutes, and you’re good to go.
Serves 4, makes about 20 pork patties
Ingredients
1 large shallot, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, roughly sliced
3 stalks lemongrass, bottom trimmed, roughly chopped from the bottom up until the inner purple ring disappears
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground pork
neutral tasting oil
Ingredients - Nuoc Cham Dressing
3 tbsps. lime juice
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. sambal oelek, optional
Additions
steamed rice
pickled daikon and carrots
crispy fried egg
any of the following: cilantro, basil, mint, chopped
fried garlic, to garnish
fried shallot, to garnish
Instructions
Prep the additions you want to add to your dish - coconut rice, pickled veg, fried egg, herbs etc.
In a food processor or mortar and pestle, pulverize or pound together ingredients from shallot to salt.
Combine paste and ground pork in a medium-sized mixing bowl and knead together until well incorporated.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Using a #40 portion scoop (1 1/2 tbsp), portion out pork mixture into meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Form the meatballs into flat burger-like patties. If you don’t have a portion scoop, just use a tablespoon measure and scoop a heaping tablespoon each time.
Line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat oil in a medium-sized frying pan on medium heat. Fry the patties on each side for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and place on baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6-8 minutes, until patties are cooked through. You can also grill these babies on a bbq outside at 350 F for the same amount of time.
Whisk together nuoc cham ingredients or use wooden boat’s bottled nuoc cham!
Serve with accompaniments and enjoy!