Highland Breakfast · Meatballs in Tomato Broth
Bánh Mì Xíu Mại
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: Nummymuffin / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Xíu mại takes its name from Cantonese siu mai, the dim sum dumpling — though in Vietnam it has become a loose meatball in tomato sauce rather than a wrapped dumpling.
Pork meatballs studded with mushroom and onion simmer in a light tomato broth, served in a bowl with a torn baguette for dunking, or with the baguette split and stuffed. Đà Lạt sidewalk stalls sell it hot each morning, a favorite in a town cool enough that a warm bowl actually makes sense at breakfast.
Why it's made this way: The dish blends Chinese-style xíu mại meatballs with the French-introduced baguette, a fusion that took root in Đà Lạt partly because French colonists built the hill town as a cool-climate retreat, leaving a lasting culinary imprint alongside the architecture.
More from Vietnam
Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below.
Photo credits.