Crispy Fried Noodles Meatballs With Sweet Chili Sauce

Wash and pat dry the dried chilies with paper towels. In a dry pan, toast the dried chilies over medium-low heat until they have some charred spots and smell smoky. Remove from pan and set aside.

Toast the garlic and shallots in the same pan, stirring often until they are charred.

To lessen the spiciness, use dry chilies in large chunks, remove the seeds and pith from the dried chiles.

Grind the dried prawns to a texture similar to floss and the dried chili to a coarse powder using an electric grinder.

Combine all the ingredients, except for the oil, in a food processor, and process until they form a smooth paste. You may add a little water to make grinding easier.

Transfer the chili paste and cooking oil to a pan, simmer over low heat, and stir constantly for about 10–12 minutes to cook the herbs and thicken the paste to the desired consistency. If you want a thinner consistency, add extra frying oil. Store in a glass jar and it can be kept in the refrigerator for a few months.

Soak the glass noodles for 10 minutes until soft and cut into 2-inch lengths after being drained, then dried with paper towels.

Pound the white peppercorns and cilantro stem with roots into a paste.

Add the paste with the ground pork in a large mixing bowl or plate. Add softened glass noodles, sugar, egg, cornstarch, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and spring onions. Mix just until combined.

Shape meatballs that are about 1.5 inches in diameter. Trim off the glass noodles from the outside of the meatball if it is too long. The meatballs will be smoother and will not stick to your hands if you dip your hands in water.

Heat up some oil in a deep bottom wok. Gently drop the meatballs into hot oil one at a time. Keep the meatballs evenly spaced apart to avoid overcrowding the pan. Carefully stir to prevent sticking. Fry them until light golden brown, remove. Wait until the oil reaches back the temperature once more, put back the fried meatballs into it and let it fry for another 2 to 3 seconds to make it extra crispy. Remove and drain.

Finely mince the kaffir lime leaves into small pieces and squeeze some lime juice.

In a wok, combine all the sauce's ingredients, except lime juice and kaffir lime leaves. Stir everything together and simmer over medium heat. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens.

Add the lime juice and kaffir lime leaves and the fried noodle meatballs to the sauce and toss them right away to make sure they are well coated. Serve immediately.