“Come rain or shine, I’m never one to shy away from a good Vietnamese barbecue,” says Thuy Diem Pham, who runs The Little Viet Kitchen restaurant in London.
“This dish is perfect for those chilled and relaxed kind of gatherings, where there’s no need for chairs and fingers are used instead of cutlery. It’s an easy dish to make that will take your barbecue game to the next level.”
Here’s how it’s done.
Lemongrass and chilli pork ribs and chicken wings
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Bowl
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken wings any extra fatty skin removed
- 1 kg pork ribs washed and cut into single ribs
For the marinade
- 8 lemongrass stalks crushed and finely diced
- 12 Asian shallots finely diced
- 4 bird’s eye chillies finely diced
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp crushed black peppercorns
- 90 ml sesame oil
To serve
- 3 red chillies sliced lengthways
- 100 g spring onions finely sliced on the diagonal
- Pineapple Fish Sauce (see below)
For the Pineapple Fish Sauce (makes approx 2l)
- 500 ml lemon juice
- 750 ml fish sauce
- 600 g rock sugar crushed
- 8 garlic cloves diced
- 600 g finely chopped pineapple
- 8 red chillies finely chopped
Method
- Make the Pineapple Fish Sauce: Put the lemon juice, fish sauce and sugar into a small saucepan set over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then immediately set aside to cool. Stir in the garlic, pineapple and chillies and mix well. Will keep up to three months in the fridge.
- In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade and mix well. Pour half the mixture into a separate bowl and add the chicken wings. Thoroughly massage the marinade into the chicken wings and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least three hours, or ideally overnight. Repeat the process with the remaining marinade and the pork ribs. Take the meat out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Here are a few options for how to cook the chicken wings and pork ribs.Sunny day option: barbecue Grill the chicken for 20–25 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. Grill the pork ribs for 25–30 minutes, turning often until nicely browned.Rainy day option: oven roastedFor the chicken, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Arrange the chicken wings on a baking tray lined with foil, leaving the marinade behind and setting it aside for later. Roast for 40 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. Brush over the reserved marinade and continue to roast for a further 10 minutes.For the pork ribs, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6. Arrange the ribs on a baking tray and brush on some of the marinade, leaving a little for later. Roast for 50 minutes, turning the ribs after 25 minutes. Brush over the reserved marinade and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Scatter with the chillies and spring onions and serve alongside the pineapple fish dipping sauce. You could serve this with rice or vermicelli noodles and a side salad. Alternatively, a good crusty baguette is always a crowd-pleaser.
Nutrition
The Little Viet Kitchen by Thuy Diem Pham, photography by David Loftus, is published by Absolute Press.
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