Vietnamese Meatballs (Xíu Mại)

Name: Vietnamese Meatballs (Xíu Mại)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 serving
Ingredients: 450 g ground pork; 125 g shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely minced; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 small shallot, minced; 4-5 cloves garlic, minced; 150 g jicama, finely diced; 30 g panko bread crumbp; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 2 medium tomatoes; 1½ cup chicken broth or water

User Reviews

5.0

12 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings
4
Calories
531 kcal
Course
Main Course, Breakfast, Appetizer, Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine
Asian, Vietnamese

Vietnamese Meatballs (Xíu Mại)

Iris Warren

Report

These versatile pork and shrimp meatballs are melt in your mouth tender. Fresh tomatoes make for a savory and tangy sauce, and diced jicama lend a subtle crunch.

Share:

I Made This!

Be the first!

Print

Be the first!

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

450 g ground pork (about 1 lb, 80% lean 20% fat recommended)
125 g shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely minced (about 5 oz or ¼ cup)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tbsp)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp)
150 g jicama, finely diced (about 5 oz or ½ cup)
30 g panko bread crumbp (about ⅓ cup)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 medium tomatoes (about 600-650g, or 1½-2 lbs)
1½ cup chicken broth or water (about 350 ml or 12 fluid oz)

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Gently mix together the ground pork, shrimp, jicama, salt, pepper, fish sauce, shallot, garlic and bread crumbs until just combined. Be careful not to overmix this as it will result in a tougher meatball texture.
Shape the mixture into 16 golf ball sized meatballs with lightly oiled hands. You can also use a tablespoon or a small scoop. Feel free to make the meatballs larger or smaller depending on what you want to eat them with.
Arrange the meatballs in a heat-safe plate or tray and steam them until just cooked. This will take about 15-20 minutes for golf-ball sized meatballs. They will release some liquid while they steam. Keep this to make the sauce.
While the xíu mại are steaming, make the sauce. Bring a small pot of water to boil and carefully place the tomatoes in for about 30 seconds, or until the skin easily peels back. Peel the skin back and blend them until smooth.
In a heavy-bottomed with a little bit of oil, heat the tomato puree over medium heat until a rich red color develops and the tomato puree has thickened. If you drag a spatula across the bottom of the pot, you should be able to see the bottom for a second before the sauce pools back down.
When you're happy with the color of the tomatoes, add 1 cup of chicken broth or water.
Once the xíu mại are ready, take them out of the steamer and carefully add them to the tomato sauce, along with any liquid that they may have released.
Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

I recommend finding ground pork with a little bit of fat in it for the best texture in your Vietnamese meatballs. 80% fat 20% lean works.
If you cannot find jicama at the grocery store, you can use canned water chestnuts to get the same effect. I wouldn't recommend omitting this entirely as it adds moisture as well as a subtle crunch to the meatball.
If you don't have the proper equipment to steam the meatballs, you can bake or pan fry them before adding to the tomato sauce. I find that the texture of the steamed meatballs is the most tender.
You can use regular breadcrumbs if you don't have panko crumbs. Panko crumbs will result in a more tender meatball, though.
For a thicker, chunkier sauce, do not peel and puree the tomatoes. Just dice them up and fry them in oil until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add less chicken broth to the sauce to get the sauce consistency you like.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 4meatballs Calories 531kcal (27%) Carbohydrates 17.5g (6%) Protein 40.6g (81%) Fat 23.8g (37%) Saturated Fat 7.2g (36%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g Cholesterol 162.2mg (54%) Sodium 835.4mg (35%) Potassium 366mg (10%) Sugar 5.6g (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 531 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving	4meatballs
Calories	531kcal	27%
Carbohydrates	17.5g	6%
Protein	40.6g	81%
Fat	23.8g	37%
Saturated Fat	7.2g	36%
Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1g	1%
Cholesterol	162.2mg	54%
Sodium	835.4mg	35%
Potassium	366mg	8%
Sugar	5.6g	11%