Skinnymixer’s Vietnamese Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (Xíu Mại) features in the Fast section of the cookbook SkinnyAsia 2.
Juicy Vietnamese-style meatballs simmered in a sweet and savoury tomato sauce make this one seriously easy dinner.
Serve them over steamed rice, or do what we love and pile them into crusty rolls with pickled carrot, coriander and fresh chilli for an easy Bánh Mì-style fakeaway.
What You Will Need
For the complete quantities, see the recipe in SkinnyAsia 2.
For the meatballs:
- Tinned water chestnuts or carrot
- Pork or beef mince
- Cornflour
- Fish sauce
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt
For the tomato sauce:
- Passata
- Fish sauce
- Brown or coconut sugar
- Olive oil
- Tomato paste
- Soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Ground white pepper
To serve:
- Crusty bread rolls or steamed rice
- Pickled carrot
- Fresh coriander
- Fresh chilli
What is Xíu Mại?
Vietnamese Xíu Mại are tender meatballs commonly made with pork and served with a savoury tomato-based sauce.
You’ll find different versions and ways of serving them, but they’re particularly delicious with bread, which is why we love turning ours into an easy Bánh Mì-style meal.
Make Them Bánh Mì Style
This is our favourite way to serve them.
Grab a fresh crusty roll and fill it with:
- Vietnamese meatballs
- Plenty of tomato sauce
- Pickled carrot
- Fresh coriander
- Thinly sliced fresh chilli
You could also add cucumber or spring onion if you have some in the fridge.
Make sure you spoon in plenty of sauce so it soaks into that crusty bread.
Prefer a Rice Bowl?
Keep it even simpler and serve the meatballs and tomato sauce over steamed jasmine rice.
Add coriander, chilli and pickled vegetables on top for freshness and crunch.
Slow Cooker Option
These are also great for the slow cooker.
It’s a great option when you’re feeding more people or want dinner ready later in the day.
Dietary & Recipe Variations
LOW CARB
Use compliant sweetener and replace the cornflour with almond flour as specified in SkinnyAsia 2.
SUPER SKINNY
Choose lean pork mince.
PALEO
Use compliant sauces and replace the cornflour with tapioca flour.
VEGETARIAN
SkinnyAsia 2 includes a tofu, carrot and oyster mushroom variation with vegan fish sauce. Use the conventional cooking method for this version.
LOW FODMAP
Omit the garlic and onion powder and use spring onion greens and garlic-infused olive oil as specified in the book.
HALVED / DOUBLED
For a half batch, keep the sauce quantity the same. For a double batch, prepare the meatballs in two batches and use the conventional or slow cooker method.
Get the Recipe
The complete Vietnamese Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (Xíu Mại) recipe, including Thermo cooker, conventional and slow cooker methods and all dietary variations, is available in SkinnyAsia 2.
From the Testing Team
- Amanda E.– Absolutely delicious!!! I’d eat this every week!!
- Kaz M. – I absolutely love these! I inhaled my whole roll
YUMMMM!!! – made with chicken mince. - Mel C. – Yum! Loved the flavour of these. I was too lazy to make them like Bahn Mi, so we just ate them like this.
- Angie G. – Tasted amazing !! Used pork mince. The meatballs perfectly cooked within recipe times and very easy mixed around in the simmering basket for the last 5 min cook. Cooked in TM7. Meatballs and the sauce tasted absolutely delicious. I served mine on a breadroll topped with extra sauce and quick pickled carrot & cucumber strips
yumm
Some other Thermomix Meatball recipes you might love:
- SKINNYAMERICA: Spaghetti Meatball Bake
- SKINNYASIA: Vietnamese Meatball Salad
- SkinnyMediterranean: Keftedes with Hidden Veg
- SkinnyMediterranean: Italian Wedding Soup (Minestra Maritata)
- SkinnyMediterranean: Moroccan Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
- SMENT: Glazed BBQ Meatballs
- THMD2: Enchilada Meatball Bake
- THMD3: Porcupine Meatball Bake
- THMIV: Swedish Meatballs All-in-One
- THMVI: Dim Sim Meatballs
- THMVI: Coconut Curried Meatball Dinner
- THMII: Chorizo Meatballs with Homemade Chorizo
Want to know more about SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook?
SkinnyAsia 2 is a collection of Thermomix & Conventional cooking recipes. All of our cookbooks have a strong focus on Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Egg Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian and Low FODMAP.
Ingredients
- 500 g pork or beef mince
- brown sugar
- cornflour
- fish sauce
- olive oil
- passata
- salt
- soy sauce
- tin water chestnuts
- tomato paste
- garlic powder
- ground white pepper
- onion powder
Instructions
- This recipe is exclusive to the SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook.
FAQs
Can I make Vietnamese meatballs ahead?
Yes. You can prepare and shape the meatballs ahead and keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to cook. The finished meatballs and tomato sauce are also great reheated, making this an easy meal-prep option.
What should I serve with Vietnamese Xíu Mại?
Our favourite is a Bánh Mì-style crusty roll with pickled carrot, coriander and fresh chilli. For an easy dinner, simply spoon the meatballs and plenty of tomato sauce over steamed rice.