Vietnamese Meatballs xiu mai

Vietnamese meatballs are a popular comfort food. In Vietnam, there is no difference between breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  I guess that when people are poor, there is no choice. However, the meatballs are the combination of ground pork, shrimp, and jicama. The sauce is made with fresh tomato, onions, garlic, and chicken broth. There are some additional ingredients to the meatballs depending upon the creation of each chef. I have my own version of the meatballs using ground turkey. I also like to use oyster sauce as one of the seasonings for the Chinese meatballs recipe.  The popular way to eat these meatballs is with the Vietnamese baguette. I think this is the best way to have meatballs, but meatballs can be served over cooked rice or noodles.

Ingredients:

 2 lbs ground turkey

2 cups julienned jicama

4 garlic cloves, minced

5 shallots, sliced

2 tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)

1 cup diced white onion

3 green onions, chopped

2 tbs ketchup

1 cup chicken broth

Seasonings:

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbs oyster sauce (optional)

1 tsp mushroom seasoning or chicken powder

2 tbs potato starch or cornstarch

Other ingredients;

1/4 cup oil

1 tsp Korean chili flakes 

Equipment: steamer and large dish to hold the meatballs

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the jicama and cook the jicama for 2 minutes. Drain, let cool, and roughly chop.

In a sauté pan, add oil and cook the minced garlic and sliced shallots until golden brown. Drain and keep the oil to use later.

Combine the ground turkey, jicama, and the cooked garlic-shallots in a bowl. Add the seasoning ingredients and mix well.

Let the meat rest for 15 minutes and then afterwards form the meat into balls. You can use an ice cream scoop for measuring the size of the meatballs. The size should be like a golf ball. 

Bring the steamer to boil and steam the meatballs for 25 minutes. 

To make the meatball sauce:

In a large sauté pan, add the oil used to cook the shallots-garlic. Add the chopped tomatoes and onions. Stir and cook for 1 minute, and add the chili flakes and ketchup. Continue to cook for 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and use the same seasoning that was used for the meatballs earlier.

Bring to boil and slowly at the meatballs into the pan. Cook for anther 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning for your liking. Sprinkle the chopped green onion and serve.