Pork meatballs with Asian dipping sauce

Asian food always goes down well at a party. The consistency of the
sauce is thin—as is traditional—but you can thicken it at the end with
half a teaspoon of corn starch mixed with two teaspoons of water.

Pork meatballs with Asian dipping sauce

1 Put the first nine ingredients into a bowl and mix together with your hands. Season well
with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then shape into about 50 small meatballs.
2 Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, add the meatballs, and fry slowly for 10 minutes or
until lightly golden and cooked through. You might need to do this in batches. Keep warm
while you make the dipping sauce.
3 Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a small saucepan and heat until the sugar
dissolves. Transfer to six tiny ramekins or two larger bowls and serve them next to the
meatballs on the plate.

PREPARE AHEAD AND FREEZE
The meatballs can be made and fried up
to 2 days ahead. The sauce can be made
up to 3 days ahead. Freeze the uncooked
meatballs for up to 2 months.
Makes about 50

1lb (450g) lean ground pork
1 red chile, halved, seeded, and
finely diced (see below right)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger root
1⁄2 onion, coarsely grated
13⁄4oz (50g) saltines, finely crushed
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 egg yolk
small bunch of cilantro,
roughly chopped
zest and juice of 1⁄2 lime
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
a little sunflower, to fry

For the dipping sauce
juice of 1⁄2 lime
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1⁄2 cup plum sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1⁄4 cup cold water