Beef Balls

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless beef round
6 tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc nam)
6 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 quarts beef stock
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons nuoc cham

Instructions

Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes. Place in a large mixing bowl. In a small mixing bowl, combine the fish sauce, water, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder and sesame oil. Season with black pepper. Whisk well and add the beef. Toss well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator and place in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth. To test, bring a small pot of water to a boil, add a teaspoon of the mixture to the water and cook for about 1 minute. Remove from the water, taste and adjust seasoning. Roll the rest of the mixture into individual balls, about 1 tablespoon for each ball.

In a saucepan, bring the beef stock to a boil. Add the meat balls, stirring occasionally. When the meat balls start to float, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the green onions, nuoc cham and black pepper. Ladle into individual bowls and serve.

Yield: 8 servings