Sweet, salty, spicy and sweet – this noodle bowl would combine tasty pork meatballs, crunchy egg rolls, fresh vegetables plenty of fragrant herbs.
Vietnamese food is one of my favorite types of Asian food. At 30 weeks pregnant, I’ve been craving it a lot lately. It’s a bit too hot for Pho so I decided to make a fresh and light dish at home instead. Every time I prepare Vietnamese food at home, I channel my cooking muse: Mr. Lee. As I describe in my Vietnamese Beef Salad post, I spent many Sunday dinners growing up at a local Vietnamese restaurant run by Mr. Lee. My family of 5 would father around the big round table and share all of our favorite Vietnamese dishes.
Today’s recipe takes inspiration from the traditional Vietnamese Pork Meatballs and Vermicelli dish that my mother used to enjoy. This noodle bowl offers a delightful combination of flavors – sweet, salty, spicy, and savory. Instead of using ground pork, I opted for lean turkey breast to make it a bit lighter. Rather than serving it as a traditional noodle bowl, I decided to stuff the meatballs into lettuce wraps along with tomatoes, cucumber, fresh mint, Thai basil, and a touch of rice vermicelli noodles. Don’t forget to dip the wraps into a prepared fish sauce, which can be found at Asian Delight Market or any local or online Asian market. Enjoy!
Vietnamese Turkey Meatballs with Vermicelli
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine ground turkey next 7 ingredients (garlic through sugar) in a medium bowl.
- Mix well so that all ingredients are fully incorporated. Let mixture stand in the refrigerator for an hour to set.
- In the meantime, prepare rice vermicelli noodles according to package instructions (usually just cover with boiling water.)
- Wash lettuce, tomato, cucumber and fresh herbs. Place everything on a big platter.
- Ten minutes before serving, pre-heat grill to high.
- Form meat into meatballs and thread on bamboo skewers.
- Grill for 3 minutes per side or until fully cooked.
- Serve meatballs as little tacos in the lettuce and dip into the prepared fish sauce. Alternatively, you could create a noodle bowl and add the meatballs and chopped vegetables before tossing with prepared fish sauce.
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