Banh Mi Xiu Mai - Vietnamese Meatball Sandwich

The meatballs are meant to be soft and tender so it's perfectly acceptable to squish them inside your sandwich.

Yield:

Serves 2

Ingredients

1. For the meatballs:
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3. 1 lb ground pork
4. 1 lb ground pork
5. 2 tblsp Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce)
6. 1 tblsp soy sauce
7. 2 tblsp sugar
8. 1 tsp ground black pepper
9. 1/2 tsp salt
10. 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
11. 1 small onion, finely chopped
12. 1/4 cup water
13. 2 tblsp sugar
14. .
15. For the sandwich:
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17. Vietnamese French bread or regular French Bread
18. Do Chua (Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon)
19. Cucumbers, julienned
20. Cilantro
21. A few dashes of Maggi Seasoning Sauce or soy sauce

Directions

1. Add 2 tblsp fish sauce, 1 tblsp soy sauce, 2 tblsp sugar, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 minced cloves of garlic, and 1 small chopped onion to 1 lb of ground pork
2. Shape pork into 2-inch-sized meatballs and pan-fry on high heat until charred. Don't worry about fully cooking them as they'll simmer in the sauce later. The pan-frying helps them retain their shape when they later get braised. When the meatballs are golden, scoop them out into a separate bowl and set aside.
3. Heat a pot to medium-high and add 2 tblsp sugar to pot with about 1/4 cup water. When the sugar caramelizes and turns brown, add another 1 cup of water. Stir the caramel sauce again then add the meatballs back in.
4. Let simmer, uncovered, on medium-low heat for about half an hour to fully cook the meatballs and let the sauce reduce.
5. Assemble all the ingredients, except pickles, cucumbers, and cilantro. Put in the toaster oven for about 5 minutes. Add in the pickles and greens.

Notes