1¼ pounds ground pork belly
1¼ pounds ground pork butt
1 cup finely chopped Napa cabbage
¼ cup garlic, minced
¼ cup ginger, minced
½ cup rice (leftover rice acceptable)
½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 tabelspoons garlic chives
Zest of 1 lemon
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons sesame oil
¼ cup fermented black beans (available in Asian grocery stores)
¼ cup frozen lemongrass
⅓ cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon sambal
¼ cup Thai basil, minced
½ cup sweet chili sauce
chicken stock
2 dozen flatbread pockets
somen (Japanese wheat-based noodle)
fresh mint
METHOD:
For the Asian Pork Meatballs:
Combine all the ingredients, making sure not to overwork. Form the mixture into balls using a standard ice cream scoop. Roll gently to smooth out. Heat enough chicken broth in a heavy stock pot to cover a single layer of the meatballs. Bring the stock to a simmer and carefully lower the meatballs into the pan to cook thoroughly, approximately 8 minutes. Turn the meatballs occasionally and make sure the broth does not boil. Remove the meatballs from the broth using a slotted spoon.
To Assemble and Serve:
Put 2 meatballs into each flatbread pocket, along with the somen and fresh mint.
