Skewer ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground pork/beef or chicken
• 1/2 tablespoon of sugar or honey
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
• about 1 tablespoon of finely minced garlic
• about 1 tablespoon of finely minced shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• about 12-15 stalks of lemongrass

Nuoc cham ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of fish sauce
• 1/2 cup of sugar dissolved in 1 cup of hot water
• 2-3 red Thai chiles, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice

Sandwich ingredients:

• Baguette (you want to soft and light kind not the dense and chewy rustic bread)
• Bibb lettuce
• fresh mint
• fresh cilantro
• fresh Thai basil
• pickled daikon and carrots
• fried shallots

Directions

1. To make the skewers, combine all skewer ingredients (except the lemongrass stalks), in a bowl and using your hands or a fork mix to combine.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to overnight to allow the flavors to develop.
3. Peel outer layer of the lemongrass stalks. Rinse in water and dry.
4. Take one handful of the pork mixture and wrap around the end of the lemongrass stalk, gently pressing and moulding the meat around the stalk. Repeat with the remaining meat and place on baking sheet.
5. Grill over coals or gas grill for about 6-10 minutes until cooked through. Make sure to rub the grill with a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil to ensure your skewers don’t stick to the grate.
6. To make the nuoc cham, combine all ingredients together.
7. To assemble the sandwiches, trim the lemongrass skewers with scissors. Place a leaf of the Bibb lettuce on the bread, add some pickled carrots and daikon, top with the lemongrass skewer and top with cilantro, basil, mint and shallots.
8. To eat, dip the lemongrass skewer into the nuoc cham and using the bread pinch the meatball with one hand and twist and remove the lemongrass stalk with the other.
9. You can also make lettuce cups by omitting the bread.