Grilled Vietnamese Pork Skewers with Rice Paper Wraps

What you need

• 500 g (1 lb) ground pork, about 20% fat
• 50 g (2 oz) pork fat, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, 3 minced for the pork, 1 for the dipping sauce
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 tbsp fish sauce, 1 for the pork, 3 for the dipping sauce
• 3 tbsp sugar, 1 for the pork, 2 for the dipping sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp tapioca starch
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 3/4 tsp five-spice powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp annatto seeds
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil, for the annatto oil
• 8 pieces bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 min
• 150 g (5 oz) rice vermicelli
• 12 sheets rice paper
• 12 leaves lettuce
• 1 handful fresh mint leaves
• 1 cucumber, cut into thin sticks
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) water, for the dipping sauce
• 1 red chili, thinly sliced

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Put the annatto seeds and oil in a small pan over low heat. Cook until the oil turns deep red, 1-2 min, then strain it into a bowl and cool.

2. 2

   Mince the shallot and 3 of the garlic into a near paste.

3. 3

   In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, pork fat, shallot-garlic paste, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, honey, tapioca starch, rice wine, five-spice powder, salt, pepper and 1 tbsp of the annatto oil.

4. 4

   Knead and slap the mixture against the side of the bowl for about 5 min until it turns sticky and springy.

5. 5

   Cover and chill the pork mixture for at least 1 hour so it firms up.

6. 6

   Heat a grill or the oven broiler to 230 °C (450 °F). Oil your hands and shape the pork around the skewers into 8 sausages about 10 cm long, pressing out any gaps.

7. 7

   Brush the sausages with the rest of the annatto oil.

8. 8

   Cook for 10-12 min, turning every 2-3 min, until browned in spots and cooked through, 71 °C (160 °F) inside.

9. 9

   For the dipping sauce, stir the remaining 2 tbsp sugar into the water, then add the remaining 3 tbsp fish sauce and the lime juice. Mince the last garlic and add it with the chili.

10. 10

    Boil the rice vermicelli until tender, 3-4 min. Drain and rinse under cold water.

11. 11

    Slide the sausages off the skewers and slice them.

12. 12

    Dip a rice paper sheet in warm water for a few seconds, then fill it with a lettuce leaf, mint, cucumber, vermicelli and a few slices of sausage. Roll it up and dip it in the sauce.

Imported from sidechef.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.