Grilled Lemongrass Pork Skewers

Pork and lemongrass make a beautiful couple, and these skewers are everything that Vietnamese food should be — fresh, fragrant, tender and simple. To turn this into a full meal, serve the skewers with steamed rice or rice noodles, some shredded lettuce and sliced cucumber. If you’re using wooden skewers, remember to soak them first or they’ll burn.

Serves: 4 
To prep: 10 minutes + marinating time | To cook: 5 minutes
Gluten-free
Dairy-free

Ingredients 

¼ cup fish sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves removed and finely sliced

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

500g pork tenderloins, sliced

16 bamboo skewers, soaked for 20 minutes in water

Method

Stir together the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and oil until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Add the lemongrass, red onion, garlic and pork, and mix to coat the meat evenly. Cover and allow to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.

Slide 2–4 slices of pork onto each skewer so that the meat is flat with the skewer going through the meat several times to create an S-shape.

Heat a dry, non-stick skillet pan or barbecue grill plate to high. Working in batches, cook the skewers until charred and crisp, about 2–3 minutes per side.

To make it Paleo: Leave out the soy sauce or substitute with coconut aminos.