Name: Vietnamese Banh Mi Meatballs
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 500 g pork mince; 1 large egg; 1/2 cup bread crumbs; 2 cloves of garlic, minced; 1 x 225 g canned sliced water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped; 1/4 brown onion, finely diced; 3/4 tbsp fish sauce; 1/4 tsp white pepper; 2 tins of Mutti Polpa Finely Chopped Tomatoes; 1/2 brown onion, finely diced; 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced; 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil; 3 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 2 tsp chicken bouillon powder or 1/2 chicken stock cube; 1 cup water; white pepper; salt; 2 large carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut into thin match like sticks; 1 cup water; 1/2 cup vinegar; 3 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp salt; Vietnamese pickled carrots; Lebanese cucumber, sliced length wise; Butter, softened; sprigs of coriander; Spring onion, green part only, cut lengthwise; Vietnamese bread rolls; Fried shallots

Ingredients

For the meatballs:
500 g pork mince
1 large egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 x 225 g canned sliced water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped
1/4 brown onion, finely diced
3/4 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp white pepper
For the tomato sauce:
2 tins of Mutti Polpa Finely Chopped Tomatoes
1/2 brown onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tsp sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp chicken bouillon powder or 1/2 chicken stock cube
1 cup water
white pepper
salt
For the Vietnamese Pickled Carrots:
2 large carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut into thin match like sticks
1 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
Toppings to serve:
Vietnamese pickled carrots
Lebanese cucumber, sliced length wise
Butter, softened
sprigs of coriander
Spring onion, green part only, cut lengthwise
Vietnamese bread rolls
Fried shallots

Made with

Polpa Finely Chopped Tomatoes

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Method

1

Pickled carrots:
2

Mix the salt, sugar, vinegar and water in a clean container. Stir, until the sugar is fully dissolved before submerging the carrot in the pickling liquid.
3

Adjust with the salt and sugar so you get a mix of sweet, tangy and mild saltiness.
4

Put a lid on the container and store in the fridge, till ready to serve.
5

Meatballs:
6

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl until everything is well mixed.
7

Cover and set aside in the fridge for 15 minutes. During this time, set up a steamer for cooking the meatballs.
8

Shape the meatballs by rolling up one heaped tablespoon of mixture into a ball and place it on to a plate that will fit in the steamer.
9

Repeat this with all the mixture – you may need to cook the meatballs in two batches.
10

Place the plate of meatballs in the steamer and cook for 15 minutes.
11

Tomato sauce:
12

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic till the onion is softened but not browned.
13

Add Mutti Polpa, sugar, fish sauce and chicken powder to the wok and stir everything together.
14

Season with salt and pepper.
15

Bring to a gentle boil and reduce to low heat to simmer for at least 10 minutes.
16

Once the meatballs are ready, place them in the tomato sauce and continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes. The sauce shouldn’t be too thick, if it is, add a little extra water.
17

To serve your Banh mi meatballs, slice a bread roll lengthwise and place meatballs with a bit of sauce inside followed by the coriander, spring onion and pickled carrot. Finish with a sprinkle of fried shallots.