Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches may feature a whole host of things, as long as they're boldly flavored with lots of garlicky or savory goodness. Lary from San Diego, CA, wrote asking about a meatball version called banh mi xiu mai. I was not familiar with such a thing and was befuddled by the xiu mai in the name, which suggests that the sandwich contains the popular Cantonese dumpling served at dim sum. The other day at Charles Phan's Out the Door in San Francisco, I noted that they were sold out of their version of a meatball banh mi. It's hard to keep up with all the deliciously wacky things that Vietnamese cooks invent.
Turns out it's just a Vietnamese version of an Italian meatball sandwich that stopped briefly in southern China. Lary found a recipe on the funky Khmerkrom website and tweaked it a bit. He sent me the original, and I edited his contribution for easier reading and present it here for you.
Recipe
Vietnamese Meatball Sandwich
Banh Mi Xiu Mai
Meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
1 large egg
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup minced green onion
½ cup minced jicama
½ tablespoon cornstarch
½ tablespoon Wondra flour
½ tablespoon fish sauce
½ tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon whole black pepper
Sauce:
½ cup water
½ tablespoon cornstarch
½ tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
8 ounces canned tomato sauce
1 tablespoons canola oil
1 cloves garlic, minced
½ tablespoon sugar
1 scallion, chopped
½ teaspoon black pepper
Light sprinkling of garlic powder
Light sprinkling of onion powder
Light sprinkling of ginger powder
1. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with your hands. Use your hands to form meat balls, putting each in a glass or metal bowl, put it in a steamer and steam over boiling water until cooked, about 40 minutes. [This seems like a long time. I would check after 15 minutes, assuming that the meatballs about 1 inch wide. - Andrea]
2. For the sauce, in a small bowl, mix the water with the cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, salt and tomato sauce. Stir to combine well and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan over high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until aromatic. Add the water and tomato sauce mixture and stir until the sauce has thickened.
4. To make a sandwich, slice the meatballs in half and put inside the French bread. Spoon the tomato sauce atop the meatballs. Finish with some pickled daikon and carrot and a few sprigs of cilantro.
Original recipe posted at: http://www.khmerkromrecipes.com/recipes/recipe49.htm
sean
how do you make the meatball soft>
Andrea Nguyen
Lots more liquid is the answer. More egg or just add water.
Tami k
what wondra flour?
Dave
Thanks for this! A couple of notes/thoughts...
This is legit. However, I would add some diced wood-ear mushroom like you would in cha gio or a Vietnamese quiche. I've always wondered what that funny tuber/root was, I think it IS cooked jicama. Jicama is sold as kind of a rustic South American melon here so I've never thought to cook it. I believe Wondra flour is a name brand for a fine rice starch (rice version of corn starch) binding agent. Also, most ground pork might be too crudely chopped fr
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Use only egg yoke for a more tender meatball
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Hi! I just wanted to say that i love your blog! I found it while googling banh khoai mi and i literally went through your whole blog looking at delicious food pictures and recipes! Im korean but have a vietnamese bf and LOVE vietnamese food. Keep up with your wonderful blog!
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