Vietnamese Style Grilled Chicken Meatballs with Cold Noodle Salad & Nuoc Mam Dressing

Method

1. To make the pickling liquid, heat the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool completely before using.
2. To make the pickles, toss the cut vegetables and salt with clean hands. Spread them in a colander and refrigerate uncovered for a minimum of 4 hours but overnight will give you the best crunch. In a few batches, spread salted vegetables between 2 clean tea towels, and press firmly to remove excess moisture. Transfer them into a jar or container and cover with the cooled pickling liquid. Allow to pickle in the fridge overnight.
3. To make the meatballs, combine all meatball ingredients, except the vegetable oil, in a large bowl and mix well with gloved hands. Cover with cling film and allow to marinate overnight in the fridge.
4. Using wet gloved hands, roll portions into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball until all the mixture is used up. Thread 3 balls carefully onto skewers and BBQ on an open grill until slightly charred. If you don’t have an open grill, you can grill them in the oven - they just won’t have that signature smokey flavour, but still very delicious. 
5. To make the Nuoc Mam Dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside until needed.
6. To serve, place all the elements at the centre of the table for diners to help themselves, starting with the lettuce and noodles as a base, the meatballs and pickles on top, then the dressing and herbs to taste.