Photograph of the finished Pork Skewers Grilled with Mac Khen Pepper

Vietnam · Heo xiên que nướng mắc khén

Pork Skewers Grilled with Mac Khen Pepper

45 min Hands-on time + 2 hr waiting
EasyDifficulty
6 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Pork shoulder Pork shoulder 3.1 lb
  • Photograph of Mắc khén (wild pepper from Northwest Vietnam) Mắc khén (wild pepper from Northwest Vietnam) 1.4 oz
  • Photograph of Ginger Ginger 3.5 oz
  • Photograph of Garlic Garlic 24 cloves
  • Photograph of Dried chillies Dried chillies 1.7 oz
  • Photograph of Coarse salt Coarse salt 1.7 oz
  • Photograph of Herbs Herbs 4.2 oz
  • Photograph of Oil Oil ½ cup
  • Photograph of Lime Lime 2
  • Photograph of Steamed rice Steamed rice 1.8 lb

Method

  1. 1 Roast the mắc khén seeds for 40 seconds, then immediately pound them while still hot together with roasted dried chili peppers and coarse salt.
  2. 2 Marinate diced pork shoulder with a mixture of mắc khén (a type of spice), ginger, and crushed garlic for 2 hours.
  3. 3 Skewer the meat onto bamboo skewers, leaving space between the pieces to allow heat to circulate.
  4. 4 Bake at 230 degrees for 16 minutes, flipping once at minute 9.
  5. 5 Sprinkle crushed mắc khén (a type of spice) over the hot skewers of meat to bring out the spicy, numbing flavor.
  6. 6 Sprinkling mắc khén (a type of spice) after grilling helps retain its aroma; grilling it together with the grilled ingredients will cause the aroma to dissipate.

With an appliance

  • Charcoal grill 40 min

    Grill over charcoal, keeping it 12 cm above the grill for 12 minutes, flipping every 3 minutes; the charcoal smoke pairs very well with mắc khén (a type of spice).

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