Pork Ginger Lemongrass Skewers with Cashew Sauce

Hot grill. Wooden skewers soaked and ready. Pork mixture that actually sticks together instead of falling apart halfway through. That’s the whole thing right there—ground pork on a stick, coated in ginger lemongrass sauce that gets sticky and charred, with cashews in the dipping sauce because that’s what makes it work. Had a version of this at a street market in Bangkok, forgot about it for three years, then made it on a Tuesday with what I had. Turned out almost exactly the same.

Why You’ll Love These Pork Skewers

Takes just over an hour start to finish, and most of that’s soaking wood and chopping. Actual grill time is 20 minutes—not nothing, but fast enough for a weeknight.

Spicy grilled pork with ginger and lemongrass that tastes way more complicated than it actually is. Asian flavors, but nothing exotic in the sauce.

Ground pork instead of chunks. Shapes easier, cooks faster, and the edges get crispy and charred in a way whole pieces don’t.

Works as an appetizer, works as dinner with rice and salad. Works cold the next day, too, which nobody expects.

One sauce does everything. Glazes the meat while it cooks. Becomes a dipping sauce after. You’re not making two things.

What You Need for Ginger Lemongrass Pork Skewers

Ginger. Not the dried stuff. Finely chopped—50 grams, which is about a 2-inch piece. The fresher, the better it punches through.

Lemongrass. The pale part only, the white and light green. Chop it small. It doesn’t soften like other herbs.

Shallots and garlic. Two small shallots minced fine, four cloves of garlic. The shallots add sweetness that helps balance the fish sauce.

Canola oil. 40 milliliters. Olive oil burns at grill temp. This works.

Brown sugar. Packed, 150 grams. That’s what makes the sauce stick and glaze.

Fish sauce. 70 milliliters. Yeah, it smells rough straight from the bottle. But in the sauce, it’s the thing that makes everything taste like something. Don’t skip it.

Sriracha. 12 milliliters. Enough for heat, not enough to overpower. Adjust if you want spicier.

Cashews, roasted. Chopped. 130 milliliters. They go in the sauce itself, not just on top. Texture thing.

Ground pork shoulder. 650 grams. The shoulder has enough fat that the meatballs stay moist. Lean pork gets dry fast.

Egg, panko, baking powder. One egg, 20 grams panko, one and a quarter teaspoons baking powder. The baking powder keeps everything tender instead of dense. It’s weird but it works.

Wooden skewers. Twelve of them, soaked 30 minutes before you use them so they don’t burn.

How to Make Grilled Pork Skewers with Ginger Sauce

The sauce first. Get a saucepan medium heat, pour in 40 milliliters canola oil. Once it shimmers—not smoking, just hot—add the ginger, lemongrass, shallots, garlic all at once. Stir and let it sit for 4 minutes. The smell tells you when it’s ready—sharp and sweet at the same time. Add the brown sugar, stir until it dissolves and gets syrupy. Two more minutes. Pour in the fish sauce and sriracha, toss in the chopped cashews. Let it bubble once, then drop the heat down to low and let it go for 3 minutes. It’ll thicken slightly. Pull it off heat and let it cool while you work on the pork.

The pork mixture. Take your ground pork, crack the egg in, add the panko and baking powder. Measure out 70 milliliters of the sauce—that’s about 5 tablespoons—and mix it in with the pork. Your hands are the best tool. Mix until it’s sticky and holds together. Not wet. Sticky.

Shaping is where most people mess up. Oil your hands first, or everything sticks to your fingers instead of to the meat. Scoop out roughly 60 milliliters of the mixture at a time—use a measuring cup or just eyeball it. You’ll get 12 pieces. Roll each one into an oval, then press the skewer through the middle lengthwise and mold the meat around it tight. Like a thin sausage. Place them on a plate as you go. They can sit for 10 minutes or go straight to heat.

Grill prep matters. Preheat your grill high—you want the grate hot enough that a drop of water dances and disappears in a second. Oil the grate well. This prevents sticking, which is the main reason people’s skewers fall apart.

Grilling time. Place the skewers down and don’t touch them for 5 minutes. Just let them char. After 5 minutes, rotate them 90 degrees, wait another minute or two, then flip. Other side gets the same treatment—5 minutes first, then rotate near the end. The whole thing takes about 18 to 20 minutes. You’re looking for a crust that’s almost black in spots. That’s the caramelization doing the work. Inside should be cooked through, no pink. If you have a meat thermometer, 160°F is done.

How to Get That Charred Crust on Grilled Pork Skewers

High heat matters most. Not medium-high. High. The skewers spend 20 minutes total on the grill, and the heat needs to be strong enough that the outside is cooking faster than the inside is getting overcooked.

Don’t move them constantly. That’s the beginner mistake. You get color by staying still. Plant them, walk away for 4 or 5 minutes. Then rotate. The browning happens through contact and time, not constant attention.

The sauce helps too—the sugar caramelizes and that caramelization is what catches and gets dark and crispy. If you’re not getting color, your grill isn’t hot enough or you’re moving the skewers too much. Maybe both.

Near the end, you can brush on a little more sauce if you want it glossier. It’ll catch and char more. Do this in the last 2 minutes only or it’ll burn instead of caramelize.

Pork Skewers with Lemongrass Sauce Tips and Common Mistakes

Wood skewers. Soak them. Doesn’t have to be 30 minutes exactly—20 works, 45 works. You’re just trying to get them wet so they don’t combust. Some people wrap the ends in foil. Fine if you want to. Not necessary.

The meat keeps falling off. You’re not packing it tight enough on the stick, or your pork mixture is too wet. Add a little more panko if it’s wet. Pack harder when you mold it around the stick.

Fish sauce smell. It’s strong. It’s supposed to be. Once it’s in the sauce with the ginger and brown sugar, it tastes nothing like the bottle. Trust it.

Ground pork shoulder vs. ground pork. Shoulder has more fat. That’s why. Lean pork is a different meal—it’ll be drier. Don’t use it here.

Leftover sauce. Keep it in the fridge. It lasts about 4 days. Use it on rice, on grilled vegetables, on chicken. It’s good cold, good warm.

Cashews. Roasted only. Raw ones taste like nothing. Unsalted or salted—doesn’t matter since the sauce has fish sauce. No need to add extra salt.

Pork Ginger Lemongrass Skewers with Cashew Sauce

By Emma

Prep:

50 min

Cook:

20 min

Total:

1h 10min

Servings:

4 servings

Ingredients

• Ginger Lemongrass Sauce
• 50 g (1/3 cup) ginger finely chopped
• 20 g (3 tbsp) lemongrass finely chopped
• 2 small shallots minced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 40 ml (3 tbsp) canola oil
• 150 g (2/3 cup) packed brown sugar
• 70 ml (1/3 cup) fish sauce
• 12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) sriracha
• 130 ml (about 2/3 cup) dry roasted cashews chopped
• Pork Skewers
• 650 g (1 1/2 lb) ground pork shoulder
• 1 large egg
• 20 g (2 tbsp) panko breadcrumbs
• 6 ml (1 1/4 tsp) baking powder
• 12 flat wooden skewers soaked 30 minutes

Method

1. Sauce Preparation
2. 1 Heat oil medium in saucepan. Soft ginger, lemongrass, shallots, garlic 4 minutes. Add brown sugar, cook 2 more minutes until syrupy. Pour in fish sauce, sriracha, toss in chopped cashews last. Boil briefly then simmer 3 minutes. Set aside off heat.
3. Skewer Mixture
4. 2 Mix ground pork, egg, breadcrumbs, baking powder and 70 ml sauce until sticky but manageable.
5. Shaping
6. 3 Use 60 ml scoop or large spoon. Make 12 oval meatballs. With lightly oiled hands, mold each around wooden stick as tight sausage shape. Place on plate.
7. Grilling
8. 4 Preheat grill high heat, oil grate well. Place skewers down and grill 5 minutes per side, rotating often for charred blistered crust all round. Total about 18-20 minutes.
9. To Serve
10. 5 Serve hot skewers with remaining sauce as dip. Accompany with carrot-scented couscous and herb corn cabbage salad.

Nutritional information

Calories

430

Protein

32g

Carbs

18g

Fat

28g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Grilled Pork Skewers with Ginger and Lemongrass

Can I make these ahead? Shape them the night before, keep them covered in the fridge. Cook them the next day. The mixture gets firmer cold, which actually helps them hold the stick better.

What if I don’t have lemongrass? Lime zest works. Not the same, but it’s bright and sharp like lemongrass is. Use about half as much because it’s stronger. Skip if you can’t find it—the ginger and ginger sauce still works without it.

How spicy are these really? 12 milliliters sriracha spread across the whole sauce and all 12 skewers is mild to medium. If you hate heat, use less. If you love it, use more. Sriracha is forgiving that way.

Can I bake these instead of grilling? 400°F for about 18 minutes, flipping halfway. You won’t get the char but they’ll cook through and the sauce still caramelizes. Air fryer at 380°F for 15 minutes works too—actually gets a crust that way.

How much sauce am I actually serving with the pork? 70 milliliters goes into the pork mixture. The rest stays separate as a dip. That’s maybe a quarter cup for dipping 12 skewers. Not a lot. You don’t need much.

Do I need to let the pork rest after grilling? Not really. Ground meat heats through fast. Serve hot.