Comforting Xiu Mai (Vietnamese Meatballs)
These Xiu Mai or Vietnamese Meatballs are the perfect comfort food for colder days. They are made with some traditional ingredients like fish sauce and sesame oil combined with some more modern ingredients like ketchup. Altogether, they make an amazing, flavorful dish.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- ¾ cup baguette (cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 shallots (minced)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 cup carrots (shredded)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 yellow onion (thinly sliced)
- 3 tomatoes (cut into small pieces)
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 can chicken broth (low sodium, 14.5 oz)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- 1
Soak the baguette in water to soften the bread. Use a cheesecloth or paper towel to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Add it to a large bowl.
- 2
Next, saute the minced garlic and shallots until they become brown. Add them to the bowl (2-3 minutes).
- 3
Add the rest of the ingredients for the meatballs and mix.
- 4
Form meatballs that are 2 inches in diameter and place them in a bowl. Grab some meat and roll it between your palms until it forms a ball.
- 5
Bring water to a simmer in your steamer pot and add the steamer insert. Put the bowl in the steamer insert and steam for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. If the steamer insert is too deep for the bowl, add another bowl flipped upside down and put the bowl of meatballs on top. This makes it easier to pull out the bowl.
- 6
While the meatballs are steaming, make the sauce. Add the onions to a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent.
- 7
Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes soften.
- 8
Add the ketchup and chicken broth and cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- 9
Lastly, add the fish sauce, sugar, and a corn starch slurry to the sauce and mix. Make the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch with 2 tbsp of water.
- 10
Once the meatballs are done, add them to the sauce.
- 11
Bring the sauce to a simmer and remove from the heat.
- 12
Serve meatballs with a baguette and enjoy!