Pork Vietnamese Meatball Recipe For Noodle Bowls

A Vietnamese meatball recipe is great in a noodle bowl, perfect on a Banh Mi, or served on a skewer with rice. They are also a component in a bún chả recipe – a grilled pork and rice noodle dish. These little balls of ground pork are highly addicting and I often make a double batch so I can eat them straight from the fridge!

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Everyone loves meatballs and these Vietnamese pork meatballs make the best noodle bowl around!

And if you don’t want a noodle bowl just be sure to serve a large bowl of rice vermicelli noodles on the side.

I love Vietnamese food so be sure to check out my favorite Vietnamese dishes.

Why I Love this Vietnamese Meatball Recipe

If you’ve never had Vietnamese food, this caramelized pork meatball is the perfect way to get started. 

You will find that  garlic, black pepper and fresh herbs are common ingredients  in Vietnamese recipes and those are three of my favorite ingredients when it comes to Vietnamese cooking.

I love the flavor of these juicy pork meatballs and I particularly love serving them as part of a Vietnamese noodle salad.

There is so much flavor in these savory meatballs and they are so easy to make, that it would be a shame not to love them!

Plus, this Vietnamese meatball recipe can be enjoyed so many ways.

Vietnamese Meatball Recipe Ingredients

Ground Pork – I use ground pork but ground meat such as ground beef, chicken or turkey can also be used. Make sure there is enough fat in your recipe because fat contributes to flavor and also prevents the meat from sticking to the grill or skillet.

Chopped fresh basil – Do not use dried.

Garlic cloves

Green onions, finely chopped

Fish Sauce – I prefer Three Crabs or Red Boat (Be sure to use a Vietnamese fish sauce for Vietnamese recipes)

Sriracha

Sugar

Cornstarch

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Kosher or Coarse Salt

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce or Nuoc Cham

(My nuoc cham recipe was loved by the judges on the 7th episode of The Great American Recipe!)

Freshly squeezed lime juice

Chopped garlic clove

Fish sauce

Sugar

Water

Red pepper flakes

Sweet chili sauce (Mae Ploy)

Noodle Bowl Ingredients:

Pickled Carrots Daikon Salad from here

Cucumber, thinly sliced

Green Leaf or Romaine Lettuce

Fresh Mint

Fresh Thai basil if you can get it if not Italian basil is good, too

Fresh Cilantro

Fresh Jalapeno – deseeded and deribbed if you are worried about it being too spicy

Fresh Bean Sprouts

Chopped Peanuts

Soaked Rice Noodles

How To Make this Vietnamese Meatball Recipe

​Mix all ingredients for meatballs together in a medium bowl. Form meatballs into 2 inch balls and yes, an ice cream scoop can be used. 

Do not overwork the meat mixture or your meatballs will be tough. Chill on a sheet pan until ready to grill.

Spray with cooking spray before grilling.

Preheat grill, then place these on an oiled  grill tray and slowly grill at medium high heat while turning them as they turn golden brown.  

Or you could skewer this Vietnamese meatball recipe like shish kebab and grill them slowly or fry them in a tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.

How To Serve This Vietnamese Meatball Recipe

This popular street food recipe makes great appetizers, whether served on a toothpick or skewer, and just like meatballs are inhaled at any party, this Vietnamese meatball recipe will be inhaled faster. 

Serve them with a little sriracha, soy sauce mayo to dunk, and they will be the hit of the party!

These pork meatballs are also great in a Vietnamese bánh mì, (a Vietnamese sub) and they would make an awesome filling in lettuce cups.

Perfect in pho or just served with steamed rice and a fried spring roll, these are the best meatballs I know of.

Personally I love noodle bowls and since it has been so hot, I wanted something a bit lighter than a big Vietnamese sub!

Noodle bowls are perfect for summer eating. They are light and nutritious. The ingredients can be kept on hand and customized to your heart’s content.

Most noodle bowls are made with grilled pork, grilled chicken or shrimp, so this pork noodle bowl is a bit different than the standard sliced grilled pork.

A fun summer party idea would be a buffet of all of these ingredients assembled salad bar style so that everyone could customize their own noodle bowl or banh mi.

Have leftover meatballs?

Cooked meatballs are easily stored in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag in tne fridge for up to 1 week.

FAQ’s

The first time I had Vietnamese food was in 1986. OK, give or take a few years on either side. It was in the fall and it was chilly outside. We had to debate whether to wait, (as the line was out the door) or to find somewhere else to spend our dimes.

Wait we did, and as we edged slowly inside, we found ourselves in the pass where the food comes out. 

Torture is what it was, as we watched giant platters of fried soft shell crabs and eggrolls, passing by under our noses.

Enormous baskets filled with tons of fresh herbs, surrounded by bean sprouts and slices of seeds in, dark green jalapenos were nestled along side pickled orange carrots and white daikon.

Our noses inhaled the garlic, the fish sauce, the caramelized sugar and lime juice, as we tried to not reach our hands out to grab each passing dish.

And if you must know this teeny tiny place was a real dump. 

You couldn’t help but wonder what was lurking behind closed doors, but the food looked impeccable; and this Vietnamese restaurant was recommended by the local trendy newspaper.

Since we were trend setters back then, we had to go. My life has not been the same since.

I promise you won’t be disappointed with these Vietnamese-style meatballs. They make a delicious meal however you serve them and they will truly make your taste buds sing!

My mouth is watering right now as I think about this delicious Vietnamese meatball recipe!

More Favorite Vietnamese Dishes

Vietnamese Chicken Pho

Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Pork

Vietnamese Grilled Pork

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