Xíu Mại (Vietnamese Meatballs)

Bánh mì xíu mại is a very popular way of serving these meatballs in a crusty Vietnamese baguette filled with coriander, cucumber, red chillies and pickled radish and carrots. But these tasty meatballs are also delicious with rice.

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork and extra chop
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (if you like garlic)
3 red  fried Asian shallots, finely chopped
1 egg
1 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper and 1/2 tsp tapioca starch

Tomato sauce

3 green onion, white part only, finely chopped3 gloves garlic, finely chopped (again, if you like garlic taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
1 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 small jicama roots 

If serve with bread
4 crusty bread rolls
1/2 bunch coriander
1 cucumber, sliced
pickled white radish and carrot
1/2 bunch coriander
fresh chillies (optional)

Direction:

 1) Jicama roots peel of the skin, slide it in small strings, microwave it for 3 minutes. Squeeze out all the water, and chop finely.

2) In a large bowl, combine the pork mince, garlic, chop jicama roots, fried shallots, green onions, egg, sugar, salt, fish sauce, pepper, and tapioca starch, then mix well with spoon . Form the mixture into golf balls then place them on a plate or tray then steam for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add 1 tbsp oil in the hot pan, add chop white scallion in and stir for few seconds, then add chop tomatoes and 1 1/2 tbsp ketchup and cook for 1 minute, then add 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon fish sauce and bring to boil then low the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Now, the meat balls should be done by now, Add the juice of the cooked meatballs in the sauce pan, then add the mixture of tapioca starch and water to the sauce, keep stirring to avoid lumps. 

Then add the meatballs in the the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste test and add more seasoning if required. Remove from heat. 

Serve meatballs as fillings in a crusty baguette with coriander, cucumber, red chillies and pickled radish and carrots or tear small pieces of baguette and dip in the Xui Mai.