Grilled pork patties

These juicy grilled pork patties contain a secret ingredient that makes them reign over other pork patties: caramel sauce.

Grilled pork patties Credit: One World Kitchen

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp caramel sauce (see below)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 650 g ground pork
• bamboo skewers soaked in water, for grilling

Caramel sauce (Nuoc mau)

• ⅔ cup (130 g) sugar
• ½ cup (125 ml) hot water from a kettle

To serve

• 500 g rice noodles, cooked
• sliced cucumber
• coriander
• Thai basil
• lime wedges
• nuoc cham, for dipping (see note)

Marinating time: 2-4 hours

Instructions

1. To make the caramel sauce, melt sugar in a saucepan on the stove. When the colour changes to a dark golden-brown, take the pan off the heat. Pour in the hot water carefully and stir to combine – watch out for splattering. Let it cool. Store the excess in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
 
2. To make the patties, in a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the caramel sauce with garlic, shallots, fish sauce, vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Add pork and mix to coat thoroughly.
 
3. Cover bowl and let marinate in the fridge for 2-4 hours.
 
4. Form pork into small slider-size patties. Push pork patties onto a skewer – 3 patties per skewer. Grill skewers on a barbecue or in a grill skillet, turning to cook both sides.
 
5. Serve with cooked rice noodles, cucumber, herbs, lime wedges, and nuoc cham dipping sauce (see note).

Note: 

● Combine 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar in a small heatproof bowl. Pour ½ cup hot water over top and stir until sugar has dissolved. Let cool. Meanwhile, add g1 minced garlic clove and 1 chopped Thai chilli to a bowl or mortar. Add 2 tablespoons of lime juice and use a pestle or fork to mash together. Add garlic mixture to fish sauce mixture and stir well to combine.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.