Chă bō xiên quê nuōng (Vietnamese Baked Beef Skewers on Cinnamon Sticks)

Recenty in Hanoi, I tasted a dish at Home restaurant which captured both my imagination and taste buds. While I could not find an authentic recipe for it, I recreated it using one for Kofta Kebabs (a Middle Eastern-style meatballs) and incorporated some Vietnamese ingredients.  This rendition happily reproduced the same deliciousness which I hope you enjoy as much as I did when I first tasted it. It is easy to make and sure to wow your guests.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef (5 percent fat)

1 small onion (1/2 cup chopped fine)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 small garlic, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon soy sauce (or fish sauce)

1/4 cup cooked rice

½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

12 cinnamon sticks

Cooking directions:

1.        Preheat oven to 350⁰ F

2.       Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

3.       In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, sugar, cinnamon powder, garlic, mint, soy sauce, rice, pepper and salt.

4.       Mix well. 

5.       Divide into twelve equal pieces. Cover and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes

6.     Dampen your hands with water and shape the meat around each cinnamon sticks.

7.     Place Chă bō xiên quê nung on the baking tray.

8.     Bake for 25-30 minutes until brown and cooked through.

9.       Remove from the oven and serve with Nuoc Cham sauce  (See Vietnamese Spring recipe)

Serves: 6 (2 cinnamon sticks each)

Wine recommendation: Look for a good Vietnamese beer!