Over the summer we don’t watch a lot of television, instead, we enjoy sitting outdoors on our patio and chatting about the day’s events. But since the renovation has finished, we cannot help but want to retire early to our fancy room and enjoy a television show or two before bed. On such an occasion, we were watching America’s Test Kitchen and they made this wonderful dish. Both JT and I were drooling by the end of the show and if it weren’t 10pm, we would have jumped out of bed to make the dish right away. The very next day, I shopped for the ingredients and made a large batch. This makes a lovely light meal or a slightly heavier appetizer or hors d’œuvres. It brings all of the usual flavours of Vietnamese cuisine and it’s so satisfying. The raw patties freeze well and can be grilled frozen because they are small, just make sure the internal temperature reads 155° F (Canada) 160° F (US). Don’t skip marinating the grilled burgers in the sauce, it adds a rich meaty flavour to the sauce and the sauce flavours the meat beautifully.
Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties
Makes about 20 small slider-sized patties
Ingredients for the sauce:
- 10 mL chili paste
- 10 mL roasted garlic purée
- 10 g sugar
- 15 mL fish sauce (see notes)
- 45 mL freshly squeezed lime juice
- 175 mL hot water
Ingredients for the pork patties:
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 15 mL fish sauce (see notes)
- 2.5 mL baking soda
- 2.5 mL white pepper
- 454 g pound ground pork
Ingredients for the salad for 2-4 people:
- 250 g rice vermicelli
- 1 head Boston lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 English cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and cut into chunks
- a generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves and stems, cut thinly
- a generous handful of fresh mint leaves, cut thinly
- a handful of peanuts, sesame seeds or finely sliced green onions for garnish
Directions:
- Make the sauce first because it is best if it stands for a few hours. Add all of the ingredients to a heatproof container and combine well until the sugar has entirely dissolved. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Combine the ground pork with all of the ingredients and mix well. Measure out small portions (we wanted them for hors d’œuvres and appetizers, so we did slider-sized patties) and form into firm patties.
- Grill each patty on a hot grill until sides have caramelized and the centre is 155° F (Canada) or 160° F (US). Directly from the grill, add the patties to the sauce and allow to sit in the sauce for 5-10 minutes turning a few times if they are not entirely immersed.
- Meanwhile, boil enough water to cover the rice vermicelli and allow to soften to al dente! Strain.
- To serve, lay the torn Boston lettuce on each plate or a serving platter, scatter the cucumber, cilantro and mint over the leaves. Top the greens with the softened noodles and add the pork patties. Garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds or finely sliced green onions or all of the above! Drizzle with the sauce and serve remaining sauce on the table.

One of the last meals we had outdoors before September kicked in.
Notes:
- The sauce needs to mellow because it is very limey at the beginning. The meat juices help the sauce mellow out.
- We have reduced the sugar in this recipe by eliminating it from the patties, we found it balanced enough.
- Check the saltiness of your fish sauce, you may need to reduce the quantity so the patties aren’t too salty.
Wow, these sound so flavorful! Also, glad you’re finally able to enjoy your rennovation!
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Love the sound of these. Vietnamese cuisine is so appealing, very tasty and yet light.
On the other hand, I’m actually not a big fan of America’s Test Kitchen, believe it or not. They do give you some helpful tips, but overall I find their “scientific” approach to cooking a bit, well, depressing. And Christopher Kimball rubbed me the wrong way, although I understand he’s left the show. And maybe he was the reason I didn’t like it? Kenji Lopez-Alt also takes a scientific approach to cooking, but somehow he manages to make it fun.
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Being a lover of Vietnamese cuisine, I can’t wait to make these pork patties. Totally up my alley!
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These sound great! I particularly like the sauce — tons of flavor in it. TONS! Really creative — thanks.
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Well now I know what I’m making for when friends are coming to dinner Wednesday! I was trying to think of something fun but light and this is perfect! Thanks!
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So very delicious! We definitely would love these too.
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Oh, my, I can see why you rushed to make these pork patties. They sound scrumptious and I love the idea of using them for appetizers!
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