Banh Mi (Vietnamese Baguette Sandwich)
Banh Mi is a Vietnamese street-food sandwich that's perfect on a hot summer day. A crisp, toasted baguette is layered with marinated pork rested overnight, sweet-and-sour daikon and carrot pickles, cucumber, cilantro, and green chili, then finished with sriracha mayo. The ingredients and method are simple, so anyone can enjoy it.
Ingredients
Main
- Baguette3 loaves
- Pork400 g
- Cucumber1/2
- Cilantro50 g
- Green chili pepper2
Pork Marinade
- Fish sauce1.5 tbsp
- Soy sauce1 tbsp
- Oyster sauce1 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Minced gingerA little
- Ground pepperA little
Pickled Radish & Carrot
- Korean radish (daikon)1/3
- Carrot1
- Salt1 tbsp
- Fish sauce1 tbsp
- Sugar100 ml
- Vinegar100 ml
- Warm water100 ml
Sauce
- Mayonnaise2 tbsp
- Sriracha sauce2 tbsp
Directions
- 1
Combine all the marinade ingredients to make the pork marinade. Pat the pork dry with a paper towel, coat it with the marinade, then cover with plastic wrap or seal in a zip-top bag and marinate in the fridge for about a day.
- 2
Prepare equal amounts of daikon and carrot and cut them into even matchsticks.
- 3
Toss the shredded daikon and carrot with salt, then add fish sauce and sugar and toss again.
- 4
Pour in the vinegar and warm water to pickle the vegetables.
- 5
Making the pork and pickles ahead of time like this makes assembling the sandwich much easier.
- 6
Stir-fry the marinated pork thoroughly in a pan.
- 7
Slice the cucumber and green chili on the diagonal, and rinse the cilantro clean.
- 8
Place the baguette in an oven preheated to 180°C, spritz it with water, close the door right away, and bake for about 10 minutes.
- 9
Mix the sriracha sauce and mayonnaise to make the sandwich sauce.
- 10
Once all the ingredients are ready, layer them up to assemble the sandwich.
- 11
Slice the toasted baguette in half lengthwise and spread the sandwich sauce inside.
- 12
Fill it with cucumber, pork, pickles, cilantro (optional), and green chili (optional) to finish the banh mi.
Tips
Spritzing the baguette with water before baking gives you a crust that's crisp outside and moist inside. If you don't have an oven, slice the baguette in half and toast it in a pan. If you can't handle cilantro, swap in romaine, iceberg lettuce, or other vegetables.