"GregoryD" > wrote in message
news
> For the past two years, I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In
> Arlington, there's a restaurant called Le's Fire Pot that has a bunch of
> Vietnamese food as well as a fire pot/hot pot. I used to make a weekly
> trip there on Saturday, load up on food, and then go home to watch the
> football games, stuffed for the day. I've moved to New Orleans recently
> and am fiending for this stuff (I'm a local, so the local food doesn't
> exactly overwhelm me, even if it is good).
>
> I miss a few things over there, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me
> out here. Specifically, the following:
>
> (a) curry chicken with potatoes
> (b) vietnamese meatballs (for pho or hot pot... pretty sure they bought
> these because they came in beef and either chicken or turkey)
> (c) spring rolls (seemed to be rice paper, not fried.. with a blade of
> grass that tasted like lemon... not sure what that was, though).
> (d) vietnamese sausage.. the spring rolls usually had either sausage or
> shrimp in them.
>
> Also, what cut of beef do these restaurants usually slice for shabu shabu
> or hot pot? And lastly, there was a sweet, dark sauce along with the fish
> sauce and the chili sauce.. wasn't teriyaki, though. Any ideas?
>
> GregoryD
>
>



I found a recipe for the meatballs for you on Hungry Monster's
recipes....here 'tis.



Beef Balls (Thit Bo Vien)
Course : Appetizers



Ingredients:


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 cup plus one tablespoon nuoc mam -- (vietnamese
fish sauce)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon potato starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds trimmed boneless beef hind shank
4 garlic cloves -- crushed
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
vegetable oil -- for shaping
meatballs


Preparation:
1.In a shallow dish, mix the fish sauce, potato starch, baking powder, sugar
and black pepper. 2.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. 3.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. 4.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. 5.Transfer the paste to a
bowl. Process the remaining beef, garlic and sesame oil the same way. 6.Rub
some vegetable oil on one hand. 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. Repeat
until all of the paste is used. 7.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. 8.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 black 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.