barbecued pork balls nem nuong

      When the wonderful fragrance of grilling meat fills the streets of Vietnam each evening, chances are that these pork balls will be among the items sizzling away. Balls of lightly seasoned minced pork threaded onto skewers are cooked over charcoal, giving off little bursts of fragrance as drops of oil hit the hot coals. The pork balls are served with fresh herbs, lettuce, and bean sprouts, and normally accompanied by Vietnamese Salted Soybean & Peanut Sauce; you could, however, serve Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip if you prefer.

      3½ oz (100 g) hard pork fat, in one piece

      1¼ lb (600 g) lean pork shoulder or leg, thinly sliced

      4 shallots, finely minced

      4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

      2 tablespoons fish sauce

      2 teaspoons sugar

      1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

      ½ teaspoon salt

      2 tablespoons roasted rice powder (page 18)

      3 tablespoons vegetable oil

      Salted Soybean, Pork & Peanut Sauce (page 178) or Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip (page 175)

      Accompaniments

      2 butter lettuce, washed, leaves separated

      1¼ cups (100 g) bean sprouts

      sliced cucumber

      1-2 small star fruit, thinly sliced across, optional

      1 cup loosely packed mint sprigs

      1 cup loosely packed Asian basil or coriander leaf

      Put the pork fat into a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring to the boil, simmer 10 minutes, then drain. When cool enough to handle, chop the fat into tiny pieces the size of a rice grain. Put the fat in a large bowl and add the pork, shallots, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate at least I hour, or overnight if preferred.

      Process the marinated mixture until it forms a paste. Add the toasted rice powder, pulse for 3 to 4 seconds to blend, then transfer the pork mixture to a bowl. Put the oil into a small bowl and smear some on the palms of your hands. Rub oil onto a plate.

      Shape the pork paste into balls about ¾ in (2 cm) in diameter, squeezing firmly, then put the pork balls on the oiled plate. When all meat balls have been prepared, thread onto bamboo skewers, leaving at least ½ in (1 cm) between each meat ball.

      Put all the accompaniments (washed and dried where relevant) on a serving plate. Heat a table top griller or barbecue until very hot. Cook the skewers of pork, turning to brown all over, until done, about 10 minutes. Serve with the Accompaniments and individual bowls of dip. To eat the pork balls, slide them off the skewers, and put I or 2 at a time in a lettuce leaf with some of the herbs, bean sprouts, and cucumber. Spoon over a little of the sauce then roll up, dunking the roll into more of the sauce or the dip before eating.

      Serves: 4 Preparation time: 30 min + 1 hour marinating Cooking time: 15 mins

      extraordinary beef satay sate istimewa

      When I lived in Indonesia, I discovered that the best satay were invariably served in private homes. Friends from Southern Sulawesi kindly shared their family recipe; the name, istimewa, aptly translates as "extraordinary." Cubes of beef are marinated in sweet soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lime juice, spices, and grated kaffir lime rind, with a dash of vodka or brandy (my friends are Christian, so the Muslim ban on alcohol doesn't apply). There's so much flavor in the satay that there's no need to serve it with a peanut dip.

      ⅓ cup (85 ml) sweet soy sauce

      3 tablespoons lime juice

      3 tablespoons vodka or brandy

      1½ tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

      1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander powder

      1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin powder

      2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

      2 teaspoons finely grated ginger

      1 teaspoon finely grated kaffir lime or lemon rind

      ½ teaspoon salt

      1½ lb (750 g) rump steak, in ½ in (1.5 cm) slices, cut in I in (2.5 cm) squares

      bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water 30 minutes

      Put the soy sauce, lime juice, vodka or brandy, 2 teaspoons of the oil, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, lime rind, and salt into a bowl. Add the beef, stirring to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours or up to 8 hours, stirring a couple of times while marinating

      Grease the grill of a barbecue or gas or electric griller with oil. Heat until very hot. Remove the beef from the marinade and thread onto bamboo skewers, first soaked in water for 30 minutes. Grill over high heat, turning frequently, until the beef is cooked to your taste, about 5 minutes.

      Serves: 4-6 Preparation time: 12 min + 2 hours marinating Cooking time: 6-10 min

      spiced dried beef saiko met

      I first came across Lao-style dried beef in a simple thatch restaurant in Vientiane, where it was served with mugs of wonderfully cold beer. It's not surprising that different versions dried beef are found in most of Southeast Asia, for in rural areas where refrigeration is non-existent, thin slices of marinated beef are sun-dried as a method of preservation. The dried beef is grilled to make a savory snack and can also be shredded and added to salads or served with rice. Don't worry if you can't sun-dry the beef — there are alternative methods.

      1 lb (500 g) striploin or topside, in one piece

      2 tablespoons minced ginger or 2 tablespoons very thinly sliced lemon grass

      1-2 large red chilies, sliced

      2 cloves garlic, minced

      2 tablespoons sugar

      1 tablespoon fish sauce

      1 tablespoon light soy sauce

      1 teaspoon salt

      1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander powder

      1 tablespoon vegetable oil

      Chill the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes, then slice it thinly across the grain. Process the ginger or lemon grass, chilies, garlic, and sugar to a smooth paste, adding a little of the fish sauce if needed to keep the mixture turning. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, coriander, and oil, mixing well. Add the beef strips and massage with your hand for about 30 seconds to mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours.

      Spread the meat in a single layer on bamboo tray or on a metal rack and dry in the sun, turning the meat after a few

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