Vietnamese Beef Balls - (Thit Bo Vien) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup vietnamese fish sauce, plus (nuoc mam)
1 tablespoon vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1 tablespoon potato starch, plus
1 teaspoon potato starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
2 lbs trimmed boneless beef shank
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil (for shaping meatballs)

Preparation

In a shallow dish, mix the fish sauce, potato starch, baking powder, sugar and white pepper.
Slice the meat into 1/8-inch-thick pieces.
Add to the marinade and mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Before proceeding, transfer the meat to the freezer for 30 minutes.
Work with half of the beef at a time; do not overload the work bowl.
In a food processor, combine half of the beef with half of the garlic and sesame oil.
Process to a completely smooth but stiff paste, about 3 minutes.
Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the work bowl.
The completed paste should spring back to the touch.
Transfer the paste to a bowl.
Process the remaining beef, garlic and sesame oil the same way.
Rub some vegetable oil on one hand, and grab a handful of the meat paste and close your hand into a fist, squeezing out a small portion of the mixture, about 1 teaspoon, between your thumb and index finger.
Keep rolling and squeezing the same portion between your thumb and index finger until you obtain a smooth rounded ball.
Scoop out the meatball with an oiled spoon, and repeat until all of the paste is used.
Pour 1 inch of water into a wok or wide pot, place a steamer rack or bamboo steamer over the water.
Arrange the meatballs without crowding in a single layer on the rack.
Cover and steam for 5 minutes.
Serve as an appetizer with chili sauce.
These beef balls can also be added to a well-seasoned beef broth, sprinkled with chopped scallions and white pepper and served as a soup (noodles may be added).
Note: These meatballs may be frozen.
Thaw them thoroughly, then steam or simmer in boiling water until just heated through.