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29 October 2024 Meal

Vietnamese Tofu Meatballs in Tomato sauce (Vegan)

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These Vegan Tofu Meatballs with Tomato Sauce (Xíu Mại Chay) are comforting and delicious lunch or dinner options. These juicy vegan meatballs are cooked in a drool-worthy tomato sauce and served with fresh herbs and baguette!

Having grown up in Northern Vietnam, my encounters with Xíu Mại in the South were truly memorable. The dish's comforting, flavorful nature left a lasting impression. Whether enjoyed with rice or nestled in a bánh mì, the taste is simply divine.

In Vietnam, Xíu Mại is everyone's favorite, typically paired with crispy baguettes. This vegan recipe is not only delicious but also super easy to prepare! It is ideal for meal prepping, as you can make a big batch, freeze the meatballs and cook them later!

For similar Vietnamese recipes, check out my Tofu Meatball Banh Mi, Vietnamese Tofu with Tomato Sauce, and Vegan Vietnamese Curry!

Jump to:
  • What are Vietnamese Meatballs?
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Different ways to cook the Vietnam meatballs
  • Which mushrooms to use for this Vietnamese Meatball recipe?
  • How to serve the Vegan Vietnamese Meatballs?
  • 📖 Recipe
  • If you enjoyed this recipe, also check out some of my other recipes:
  • 💬 Reviews

What are Vietnamese Meatballs?

Vietnamese Meatballs (Xíu Mại) are a traditional Southern Vietnamese dish featuring succulent pork meatballs immersed in a delectable tomato sauce. Typically enjoyed alongside bánh mì (Vietnamese baguette), this recipe offers a vegan twist on the classic, crafting meatballs from tofu, wood-ear mushrooms, and a medley of flavorful sauces.

In Vietnam, Xíu Mại is a breakfast staple, served with crispy baguettes both at home and in restaurants. This dish holds a special place for its delightful taste and comforting warmth, making it particularly satisfying during cooler weather.

Ingredients

Tofu Meatball Ingredients

The tofu meatballs are made of 9 ingredients:

  • Firm tofu
  • Wood-ear mushroom
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Sriracha
  • Ketchup
  • Soy sauce
  • Black pepper
  • Corn starch

Tomato Sauce:

  • Shallot
  • Canned tomato
  • Mushroom seasoning
  • Ketchup
  • Sriracha
  • Black pepper

Instructions

Make the tofu meatballs

Crumble the tofu and squeeze out most of the water.

Pour a generous amount of hot water over the dried mushroom. Let it sit and expand for about 20 minutes.

Soak the mushrooms
Crumble tofu and drain excess water

Meanwhile, chop and thinly slice the onion and garlic.

Ingredients to make the tofu meatballs
Make-tofu-meatballs
  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (392°F). Line a baking paper on your baking dish.
  2. To a mixing bowl, add the crumbled tofu. Drain and thinly cut the mushroom then put it in the bowl. Add the minced onion, garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, sriracha, corn starch and black pepper to the mixture. Mix well to combine.
  3. Spoon and shape the mixture into balls, this recipe makes about 12 - 16 tofu balls.
  4. Put the balls on the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until the outside is golden and crispy.
Make tofu meatballs 2
Bake tofu meatballs

Make the tomato sauce base

  1. On a pan on medium heat, add the canned tomatoes, season with salt, ketchup and sriracha. Add in the meatballs and simmer for 5 minutes on low heat.
  2. Garnish with green onions, coriander, and enjoy with rice or a few slices of baguette.
Tofu-Meatballs-with-Tomato-Sauce-1

Different ways to cook the Vietnam meatballs

There are different methods you can choose to cook the meatballs:

  • Bake: this is the easiest and healthiest method, just line the tofu meatballs on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 200°C (392°F). The tofu meatballs become crispy on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside.
  • Fry: you can also choose to shallow or deep fry the tofu for a more crunchy texture.
  • Air fry: you can spray some oil (optional) and air-fry the tofu meatballs in the air fryer for 10 minutes.
  • Steam: you can steam the tofu meatballs on a steaming basket for 10-15 minutes.

Which mushrooms to use for this Vietnamese Meatball recipe?

For the recipe, I used dried shredded wood ear mushrooms, which you can find in the Asian supermarkets or the Asian section of some big supermarkets. If you don't have access to them, you can choose to rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms or chop up fresh shiitake mushrooms or other types of mushroom.

How to serve the Vegan Vietnamese Meatballs?

You can enjoy these Vegan Meatballs with rice, rice noodles or with a crispy baguette. To eat with baguette, just take a piece of the baguette and dip it with the sauce. The bite is flavorful and has a nice texture!

Tofu-Meatballs-Banh-Mi

If you have tried my recipe, please let me know what you think by leaving me a review on this page or tagging me on Instagram @veggieanh. I would love to see your creations!

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Vietnamese Tofu Meatballs in Tomato sauce (Vegan)


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  • Author: Veggie Anh
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4 people 1x
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Description

These Vegan Tofu Meatballs with Tomato Sauce (Xíu Mại Chay) are super comforting and delicious. These juicy tofu meatballs are cooked in a drool-worthy tomato sauce and served with fresh herbs and baguette!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Tofu Meatballs

  • 400 g firm or extra-firm tofu
  • 3 dried wood ear mushrooms
  • hot water
  • ½ an onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sriracha (or other hot sauce)
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 6 tbsp corn starch
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Tomato Sauce

  • 400 g canned tomato
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp sriracha (or other hot sauce)

Serve with:

  • Baguette or rice
  • 2 scallions, finely chopped
  • A bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions

Make the tofu meatballs

  1. Crumble the tofu and squeeze out most of the water.
  2. Pour a generous amount of hot water over the dried mushroom. Let it sit and expand for about 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, chop and thinly slice the onion and garlic.
  4. Preheat your oven to 200°C (392°F). Line a baking paper on your baking dish.
  5. To a mixing bowl, add the crumbled tofu. Drain and thinly cut the mushroom then put it in the bowl. Add the minced onion, garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, sriracha, corn starch and black pepper to the mixture. Mix well to combine.
  6. Spoon and shape the mixture into balls, this recipe makes about 12 - 16 tofu balls. Transfer the tofu balls into the fridge for 15-20 minutes to harden.
  7. Put the balls on the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until the outside is golden and crispy.

Make the tomato sauce base

  1. On a pan on medium heat, add the canned tomatoes, season with salt, ketchup and sriracha. Add in the meatballs and simmer for 5 minutes on low heat.
  2. Garnish with green onions, coriander, and enjoy with rice or a few slices of baguette.

Notes

The recipe lasts in the fridge for up to 3 days, reheat in the microwave or on the pan.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: vietnamese

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag me @veggieanh — I can't wait to see your creations!

If you enjoyed this recipe, also check out some of my other recipes:

  • Tofu Meatball Banh Mi
  • Vegan Bánh Xèo – Vietnamese Sizzling Pancakes
  • Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls (Vegan)
  • Vegan Pho with Mushroom and Tofu (Phở Chay)

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    Lemongrass Tofu Noodle Salad
  • lunch box idea: black pepper mushroom serve with rice and leafy greens
    Black Pepper Mushroom (Lunch box idea)
  • VNese Mango Salad featured image
    Vietnamese Mango Salad (Gỏi Xoài)
  • Che 3 mau featured image
    Chè Ba Màu (Vietnamese Three-Color Dessert)

Reader Interactions

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    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Ming says

    August 05, 2022 at 4:57 am

    I made this today! Thank you for the simple recipe 🙂

    Reply
    • Veggie Anh says

      August 05, 2022 at 8:59 am

      Thanks for your nice words!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Anh! I am the blogger, and content creator, and recipe developer behind Veggie Anh. My goal is to inspire you to eat more veggies by sharing my recipes, videos, stories, and more!

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