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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Tomato Sauce Meatballs Serves 3 people
Ground pork 200 gr Bread 3 pieces ( 2 pieces for serving and 1 piece for crumbling into the meat ) Tomatoes 2 pieces Onion 1 bulb Jicama 1 bulb Shallots 3 bulbs Green onions 1 stalk Cilantro 5 sprigs Cooking oil 500 ml Common spices a little (salt/ seasoning powder/ ground pepper/ sugar/ monosodium glutamate)
Tools needed
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh pork
- Good pork should have bright pink meat, shiny white fat, when pressed it should feel firm and elastic, the meat should be dry, and there should be no sour smell.
- Do not buy if the pork appears dull, soft, or watery, as this indicates it has been stored for too long and is no longer fresh.
- For making meatballs, you should choose pork belly or shoulder which has both lean and fatty parts for better flavor. You should buy the meat in whole pieces and ask the seller to grind it for you or grind it at home using a meat grinder.
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- Delicious tomatoes have a bright red color, shiny, plump, and you can see tiny specks on the skin. Gently press with your hand to feel a moderate softness.
- In addition, if the stem is firmly attached to the fruit, it is fresh and recently picked tomatoes. Smelling the tomato will reveal its characteristic aroma of vine-ripened tomatoes.
- Do not buy green tomatoes; unripe tomatoes contain toxins that are not good for the body. Additionally, if the fruit feels mushy when pressed, has scratched skin, or shows signs of insect stings, it should not be purchased.
How to make Tomato Sauce Meatballs
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Prepare the ingredients
Peel the onion, chop half finely and cut the other half into wedges.
Wash the tomatoes, and dice them. Peel the shallots and mince them. Similarly, peel the jicama and dice it finely.
Wash the scallions and coriander, then chop them finely.
Crush the bread into very small pieces or grind it into a fine powder.
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Mixing the meat
Put into a bowl the ingredients including minced meat, diced onion, diced jicama, half of the chopped shallots, breadcrumbs, 1.5 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, chopped green onions, and mix so that the ingredients blend together.
Marinate the meat for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse.
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Shaping and frying the meatballs
Next, take an adequate amount of meat in the palm of your hand and shape it into a round ball. Continue until all the ingredients are used up.
Place a pan on the stove, add about 500ml of cooking oil, heat it up and gently drop the meatballs in to fry, frying them submerged in oil over medium heat until the meatballs turn golden brown, then turn off the heat.
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Steamed Pork Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Heat the pot, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil (reuse the oil used to fry the meatballs) and the remaining minced shallots, sauté until fragrant. Next, add the tomatoes and stir-fry; when the tomatoes are mushy, add 300ml of water, bring to a boil, then season with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Stir to dissolve the seasoning, then drop the fried meatballs into the sauce, reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes, add the diced onions, adjust the seasoning to taste, and cook for another 3 minutes before turning off the heat.
Serve the meatballs with some tomato sauce in a bowl, sprinkle with a little ground pepper, and garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro to enjoy.
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Final Product
The meatballs are soft and fragrant, with the fresh sweetness of onions and jicama blending with the tender minced meat, harmonized with rich tomato sauce. The dish of steamed pork meatballs in tomato sauce is visually appealing, flavorful, and pairs well with bread, vermicelli, or steamed rice.
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It’s really simple to make tomato sauce meatballs that are fragrant, fatty, and visually appealing, perfect for dipping with bread or enjoying with white rice. Wishing you success!
*Source of images and recipes shared from Facebook: Dạ Thảo
