Vietnamese Pork Meatballs with Nuoc Cham

I always look forward to trying new dishes, especially from parts of the world I'm not very familiar with.  I received this recipe from my mother in law (she found it in a magazine) and I instantly knew that I wanted to make it.  It did take me out of my comfort zone, but in a good way.:) I adjusted the recipe a little, but not much.  Nuoc Cham is apparently like ketchup in Vietnam.  They use Thai bird chilies, but the magazine suggested crushed red peppers as the substitute.  We had ours for a light dinner with a nice salad on the side, but you can enjoy it as an appetizer as well.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
For meatballs:
-2 Tbs cornstarch
-1 Tbs sugar
-1 Tbs Asian fish sauce (I found it at Target)
-2 tsp soy sauce
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 Tbs dried minced onion
-1 large garlic clove, minced
-1/2 tsp dried mint flakes
-1 lbs ground pork
-3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, for cooking
For Nuoc Cham:
-1 garlic clove, sliced
-2 Tbs sugar
-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
-1/4 cup hot tap water
-3 Tbs lime juice
-2 Tbs Asian fish sauce
Directions:
Heat olive oil in large skillet.
While oil is heating, whisk cornstarch, sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce and pepper in a medium bowl.  Stir in onions, garlic and mint.  Add the pork and combine very gently by hand.  Form meatballs and place in hot oil.  Drain on paper towels.
While meatballs are cooking, make the dipping sauce:  shallow bowl, mash the garlic, sugar and red pepper flakes into a grainy paste, with the back of a fork.  Pour the hot tap water and mix until sugar is dissolved.  Let it cool for a minute, then add the lime juice and fish sauce.   Dip meatballs in it and enjoy!