Tomato xíu mai meatballs

SERVES 4Œ6 PREP 20 mins COOK 50 mins EASY

For the meatballs

500g minced pork

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp garlic paste, or grated garlic 1 tsp lemongrass paste, or minced

lemongrass

2 tsp ish sauce

2 large carrots, inely diced

1 egg

225g can water chestnuts, drained

and inely diced

For the sauce vegetable oil, for frying

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 irm, ripe tomatoes, diced 2 chicken stock cubes, crumbled 1 tbsp tomato purée

5 spring onions, inely chopped 1 red onion, diced

2 tsp sugar

60g corn lour

1 Put the meatball ingredients into a large bowl with 1 tsp salt and black pepper and gently mix together with your hands. Shape into meatballs, about 3-4cm in diameter.

2 Set up a steamer over a high heat. Alternatively, put a bowl upside down on the bottom of a large pan with a lid. Fill the pan with water to just below the top of the bowl, then put a second bowl, the correct way up, securely on top of the first. Steam the meatballs in the second bowl for 25-30 mins with the pan lid on.

3 For the sauce, put the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Toss the garlic in the hot oil for 10-15 seconds until browned. Add the steamed meatballs and cook for 3-4 mins, turning them to brown evenly. Remove from the pan and set aside.

4 Put the tomatoes in the pan over a medium heat and cook for 1 min, then add 1 tsp salt and the remaining sauce ingredients, except the cornflour and reserving a handful of spring onions, and cook for 1 min.

5 Mix the cornflour and 120ml water together in a small bowl and pour into the sauce. Add the meatballs and cook for a final 5 mins. Sprinkle over the reserved spring onions.

GOOD TO KNOW vit c • 2 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING (6) 13 kcals • fat 13g • saturates 4g • carbs 21g • sugars 10g • ibre 3g • protein 19g • salt 3.2g