Chargrilled pork sausage skewers (nem nuong)

Ingredients

• 12spring onions, sliced
• 2garlic cloves, finely diced 
• 300 gminced pork 
• 300 gfish paste (from Asian fishmonger) 
• 1 tbspfish sauce 
• 1 tbspsugar 
• ½ tspsalt 
• 1 tspfreshly ground pepper 
• 125 ml(½ cup) vegetable oil 
• 12wooden chopsticks, soaked in water for 20 minutes 
• 12 sheetsrice paper 
• 1 bunchperilla leaf, picked 
• 1 bunchVietnamese mint, picked 
• 1 bunchmint, picked 
• 1cucumber, halved & finely sliced lengthways 
• 3star fruit, finely sliced 
• ½ bunchgarlic chives, sliced into 5 cm lengths

Hoisin dipping sauce

• 125 ml(½ cup) hoisin sauce 
• 1½ tbspwhite vinegar 
• 125 ml(½ cup) milk 
• 3 tspcrushed roasted peanuts 
• 1red chilli, diced

Instructions

To make the hoisin dipping sauce, combine the hoisin sauce and the white vinegar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir through the milk. Continue to stir just before boiling point is reached, then allow to cool. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts and diced chilli. Set aside.

Pound the spring onions and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Using a mortar and pestle, combine pork and fish paste and pound to a fine smooth paste.

In a large mixing bowl combine fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well until the sugar dissolves. Now add pork and fish paste to the seasoning and mix to combine. Knead the paste and pound handfuls of it in the bowl until the paste reaches an elastic consistency.

Form a sausage shape from the paste and form it around two-thirds of a wooden chopstick. Repeat this process with all the paste.

Bring a chargrill or barbecue to medium heat and cook for 8 minutes, turning the chopstick every 2 minutes.

To serve, dip the sheets of rice paper, one at a time, in warm water until softened. Remove the meat from each chopstick and wrap in the rice paper with mixed herbs, cucumber, star fruit and garlic chives. Serve with hoisin dipping sauce.