Vietnamese meatball banh mi
Made with Chopped tomatoes
The Mutti Chopped Tomatoes maintains all the freshness of freshly-harvested tomatoes. It’s a unique product because it is chopped especially finely for an abundance of tomato pieces in every bite and a rich, consistent texture. Mutti Polpa brings together the tomato juice and its most pulpy part, a feature which makes it ideally suited for long cooking times even at high temperatures, like in the oven. Alternatively, it captures the fresh flavour of perfectly ripe tomatoes so well that it can be used straight from the tin in dishes like bruschetta or salsas. It is also ideal for homemade pizza, for recipes with meat, vegetables and legumes and to dress fresh durum wheat pasta or egg pasta
40 min (COOK TIME: 40 min)
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
((or any other long crusty bread rolls) )
-
Fried shallots
Share the ingredient list
Vietnamese meatball banh mi: Method
- Pickled carrots:
- 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.
- Adjust with the salt and sugar so you get a mix of sweet, tangy and mild saltiness.
- Put a lid on the container and store in the fridge, till ready to serve.
- Meatballs:
- Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl until everything is well mixed.
- Cover and set aside in the fridge for 15 minutes. During this time, set up a steamer for cooking the meatballs.
- 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.
- Repeat this with all the mixture – you may need to cook the meatballs in two batches.
- Place the plate of meatballs in the steamer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Tomato sauce:
- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic till the onion is softened but not browned.
- Add Mutti Polpa, sugar, fish sauce and chicken powder to the wok and stir everything together.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a gentle boil and reduce to low heat to simmer for at least 10 minutes.
- 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.
- To serve, 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.
