Cha bo

These Vietnamese meatballs are traditionally made with beef or veal mince, but I like to make them with a mixture of minced pork and beef. They’re full of all the flavours of Southeast Asia. To eat, wrap a single patty in a lettuce leaf along with a slice or two of cucumber, a sprinkling of crushed peanuts, a couple of mint leaves and a squeeze of lime; then dip each little parcel into nuoc cham (see below) or sweet chilli sauce.


The meatball mixture is best left to marinade overnight, but a few hours will do it if you forget.


Serves four as a starter.

For the meatballs:
minced beef and pork – 250g
kaffir lime leaves – 6
bird’s eye chillies – 3-4 with their seeds, chopped finely
nam pla or nuoc mam (Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce)
a large shallot, chopped finely
coconut milk – 2 tablespoons (optional)
curry powder – a teaspoon (I use Yeo’s Malaysian curry powder)
sugar – a teaspoon
garlic cloves – 2-3 large ones, crushed or grated
a thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated.
the juice of half a lime


To serve:
soft lettuce leaves, washed
half a cucumber, peeled and sliced
roasted (unsalted) peanuts, lightly crushed
a large bunch of mint
limes – 3, cut into wedges
nuoc cham dipping sauce
sweet chilli sauce (optional)


Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs, cover and refrigerate for a few hours, preferably overnight.


You can now test the seasoning by taking a small amount of the mixture and frying it. Taste, then balance the flavours with more fish sauce, sugar and lime juice to taste.


Now make the meatballs: with wet hands shape the mixture into balls about the size of a walnut and flatten each one gently with the palm of your hand.


Arrange all the other ingredients on a large plate or serving dish.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and, when hot, add the meatballs. Cook for about three minutes each side and then break one open to check if it’s cooked – if it’s pink inside then cook for a few minutes longer.