 
              Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mi
Made with Crushed Tomatoes
Mutti® Polpa keeps all the freshness of freshly picked tomatoes. This unique product combines the finely cut pulpy part of the fruit with its own juice.
            
            
              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
                
                              
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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.
