Xíu mại, also known as Vietnamese meatballs, is made with ground pork and seasoning. This mixture is then hand-shaped into balls before being steamed and added to a flavorful tomato sauce. Perfect on its own or with rice or baguette bread.
In a skillet, on medium heat, add oil and yellow onions. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add jicama and garlic, and cook for another 1 minute. Let this mixture cool completely.
In a medium bowl, mix together ground pork, jicama, yellow onion, garlic, fish sauce, salt, ground pepper, and sugar. Use your hands to form 1½ inch balls, the size of a golf ball, for all of the pork mixture - about 10 meatballs.
Cook the Meatballs (3 Options)
Steam. Fill the steamer with 2 cups of water. Place the meatballs in the steamer and cook for 6 minutes.
Bake. Arrange the meatballs on a greased tray, leaving some room in between each one. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
Air Fry. Arrange the meatballs in the air fryer, and air fry them at 350°F for 6 minutes.
Make the Tomato Sauce
In a saucepan, on medium heat, add sesame oil and garlic. Cook for 20-30 seconds until fragrant. Add water, chicken bouillon powder, tomatoes, tomato paste, fish sauce, sugar, and ground pepper. Stir until well combined. Cover the pot. Bring it to a boil and then turn down the heat and let slowly simmer for 20 minutes.
Thicken the Tomato Sauce and Add Meatballs
In a small bowl, mix together 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and 3 teaspoons of water. Add this mixture to the tomato sauce to thicken it. (Optional: If you want to get rid of the tomato chunks, use a blender or an immersion blender)
Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce. Ladle the sauce over the meatballs and let the sauce simmer for about 2-3 minutes so that the meatballs soak up the flavors of the sauce.
Serve with slices of French baguette bread.
Notes
Sweat the onions and jicama and let them cool completely before adding them to the meatball mixture. The vegetables will be uncooked if you skip this step.
Do not overwork the meatball mixture when mixing the ingredients together. This will cause it to be dense.
Adjust the sauce to your liking. If you prefer a thicker sauce, use less water and thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. If you need more cornstarch, use a 1-to-1 ratio of cornstarch and water. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add more water.
If you do not want tomato chunks in your sauce, use a blender or an immersion blender to puree the sauce.