Ingredients
For the dipping sauce:
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon rice-wine vinegar (not seasoned)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon finely chopped Thai chile
For the kebabs:
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1/2 recipe Ground-Meat Mix (about 1 3/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lemongrass, pale-green parts only
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai or regular basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon finely chopped Thai chile
12 skewers (5 inches each) fresh sugarcane
1 head Boston lettuce, leaves separated
Garnish: fresh mint, Thai or regular basil, and cilantro
Preparation
Make the dipping sauce: Mix together all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in topthird of oven. Make the kebabs: Coat abaking sheet with cooking spray. Gentlymix together meat, lemongrass, basil,cilantro, and chile. Form meat into 12 narrowloaves (about 1/4 cup each), shapingeach around a sugarcane skewer, leaving1 inch exposed; transfer to baking sheet.
Bake for 11 minutes. Heat broiler. Broiluntil deep golden brown, about 3 minutes.Discard garlic from sauce. Placekebabs in lettuce leaves. Garnish withherbs. Serve with dipping sauce.
