Quail Egg Stuffed Pork Meatballs with Rice Noodles

Quail Egg Stuffed Pork Meatballs with Rice Noodles:

18 quail eggs

2 lbs. ground pork

14 oz. package rice noodles

2 cups bean sprouts

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

2 tsp. freshly minced ginger

2 tsp. freshly minced garlic

1 egg

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. onion powder

chopped peanut garnish (optional)

Dipping Sauce:

1 tsp. chili garlic sauce (more or less depending on heat level desired)

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tbsp. sugar

2/3 cup warm water

1 tbsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

5 tbsp. fish sauce

1 small carrot, finely shredded

Place eggs in a medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover. Place on medium high heat and allow to come to a boil. Turn off heat and cover. Leave saucepan on the burner for 10 minutes. Drain water, peel eggs, set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Finely chopped bean sprouts and cilantro. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add pork, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion powder, and egg. Mix by hand to thoroughly incorporate. Scoop up enough pork (about 2 ounces) to form a 2 inch meatball. Make a large indentation in the center, insert a quail egg, and roll into a ball. Place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat forming the remaining meatballs. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

To make the dipping sauce, combine all ingredients, stirring to dissolve sugar. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Prep rice noodles according to package directions. Generally, they are placed in a large bowl and covered with boiling water. They are soaked until soften (roughly 3 to 10 minutes) depending on size of noodles.

Place meatballs atop a bowl noodles and serve with additional cilantro, beans sprouts, chopped peanuts (optional) and a generous amount of dipping sauce.

Makes about 6 servings.

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