Vietnamese Pork Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (Xiu Mai)

About This Recipe

Xiu mai are Vietnamese-style pork meatballs, softer and looser than Italian versions, bound with a little cornstarch and simmered rather than fried so they stay tender. Wood ear mushroom mixed into the pork gives a distinctive light crunch, and the tomato sauce they simmer in is tangy and only lightly sweet, closer to a thin, savory braise than a thick pasta sauce. The technique that matters is keeping the meatball mixture wet and slightly loose -- xiu mai should be tender and almost falling apart, not dense and bouncy like a French or Italian meatball. Simmering them gently in the tomato sauce, rather than searing first, keeps them soft throughout, and the sauce reduces slightly as they cook to coat everything in a rich, tangy glaze. Served with a crusty baguette for dipping into the sauce, or over rice, xiu mai reflects Vietnam's fusion of French bread culture with distinctly Vietnamese seasoning -- fish sauce, wood ear mushroom, and a lighter hand with tomato than its European meatball cousins.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gground pork
• 10 gdried wood ear mushroom(soaked and finely chopped)
• 3shallots(minced)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tbspcornstarch
• 1egg
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 3tomatoes(diced, or 1 can crushed tomatoes)
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1.5 cupschicken stock
• 1 tspsugar
• 0.25 cupcilantro(chopped)
• 4small baguettes(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the meatballs

   Combine pork, wood ear mushroom, half the shallots, half the garlic, fish sauce, cornstarch, egg, and pepper. Mix until slightly sticky.

2. 2

   Shape the meatballs

   Wet your hands and roll the mixture into 16-18 golf-ball-sized meatballs.

3. 3

   Build the sauce base

   Heat oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Cook remaining shallots and garlic 2 minutes until fragrant. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, cooking 5 minutes until jammy.

4. 4

   Add stock

   Pour in chicken stock and sugar, bring to a gentle simmer.

5. 5

   Simmer the meatballs

   Carefully add meatballs to the sauce. Cover and simmer gently 20 minutes, without stirring roughly, until cooked through and tender.

6. 6

   Serve

   Scatter with cilantro and serve hot with crusty baguette for dipping into the sauce.

Variations

• •

  Serve over steamed rice instead of with baguette for a heartier meal.

• •

  Add a soft quail egg to each meatball before shaping for a traditional variation.

• •

  Use ground chicken instead of pork for a lighter version.

Storage

Refrigerate meatballs and sauce together up to 3 days; the flavor deepens overnight. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat to avoid breaking the meatballs apart.

Frequently Asked Questions