Bags of limes. We'll grow our own lime trees one day, but in the meantime, I'm held ransom to highway robbery at our friendly local supermarket chains. I can't understand why limes cost so much more than lemons. I won't Google it, but I think it's because of pirates. Yarr, and yes, the influx of pirates in our community has driven up the cost of limes. Go on, prove me wrong? ;)
Anyway, as the season changes (it was 10deg on the train platform the other morning, yahoo!), we're looking for easy dinners that suit the weather. This one has a hint of summer, abit more warmth for the cooler weather, and yes, limes. The Vietnamese have really perfected balanced flavors in each mouthful - sweet, salty, spicy, hot and sour, and often with soup, noodles, lots of fresh veggies or all of the above!
Here's a great recipe we tried the other night, enjoy!
Vietnamese meatballs
(Serves 2)
Dipping Sauce (nuoc cham) (Make first so it cools while you make the patties)
1t Castor / palm sugar
1t rice vinegar
3T water
2T fish sauce
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped (size and seeds up to you)
1 lime, juiced
Combine sugar, vinegar and water in small pain, boil and reduce to simmer ~2 minutes till sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat, allow to cool, stir everything else in.
Patties
3T sesame seeds or 2T sesame oil <if making salad, toast extra seeds to scatter on top>
1t cumin seeds
2-3 beef steaks of your choice* or 250g minced beef
1-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or process with the steaks)
4 stalks spring onions, finely chopped (or process with the steaks)
1t curry powder
1t sugar (or even better, grate a smidgen off a round of palm sugar)
2T coconut cream
fish sauce to taste
Soak about 8 bamboo skewers for 30 minutes, or use your metal ones.
Dry roast the sesame and cumin seeds for about 1 minute. If you're feeling meh, just grind up the cumin and use sesame oil, it's still good!
Tip into a big bowl with everything else (see, I said easy!) and season ( I tend to leave salt out if using fish sauce).
Shape into patties, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you make your accompaniments.
Anyone know if it's better to skewer now or skewer later? I don't think it makes a diff, I skewer before chilling so I don't get meaty hands again!
Anyway, if you made big patties, thread onto parallel skewers to hold better, otherwise pop the lil ones along single skewers.
When ready, heat your BBQ or charcoal grill...it was too late that night so we used a cast iron grill plate on a gas stove, cook about 3-4 minutes each side.
Bonus limes: grill halves / wedges to serve
Hubby also grilled up a few stalks of spring onion, because he knows I value presentation, even on a school night ;)
Salad & dressing
1-2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled and ribboned with a veggie peeler
1 red capsicum, seeds removed and cut into really thin strips
half a punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
Mix up a few tablespoons of the leftover coconut cream, a splash of sweet chilli sauce and a tablespoon of natural yogurt (I couldn't bear to make the dressing completely out of the coconut cream, not sure if the yogurt, being a Greek style one, was any better in the calorie department!!)
Sprinkle sesame seeds over.
I think it would've been lovely with abit of coconut rice too (if you don't know how, Google 'nasi lemak Amy Beh' for an easy recipe), which would've used up the rest of the coconut cream.
Notes
*1)I like to mince my own meat, 2)my food processor was one of the best gifts ever, thank you Aunty C, 3)that way you can choose how lean or fatty your meat is, 4)you actually KNOW what went into your meal.
And I suppose you already guessed what happened to the leftover lime...mmm...gin... ;)
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