Savory Banh Mi Sandwich
Serves 6-8
For Pickled Veggies:
¾ cup carrots, julienned
¾ cup white onion, thinly sliced
½ cup daikon radishes, halved and thinly sliced
½ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup water
¼ cup white sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
For Sauce:
½ cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons sriracha, or other chili sauce
For Meat:
Vegetable oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Zest from 1 lime
Juice from ½ lime
For Sandwich:
8 hero or Portuguese rolls or 2 baguettes, cut into thirds
1 large cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into matchsticks about 3 inches long
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced or minced, for garnish
Cilantro, coarsely chopped, for garnish
Mint, coarsely chopped, for garnish
Soy sauce, for garnish
Fish sauce, for garnish
For Pickled Veggies:
In a large bowl or resealable container, combine the carrots, onions, radishes, rice vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Mix together well and let sit, at room temperature, for at least 30 minutes, but preferably an hour.
Once it’s reached your desired taste, drain the liquid away.
The longer you leave the vegetables in the pickling liquid, the stronger the pickled taste will be and the more they will lose their crunch.
Personally, I’ve drained it off after anywhere between 30 minutes and 48 hours, and both are tasty, so it’s up to your preferences.
For Sauce:
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of green onions, and 1-2 tablespoons sriracha or chili sauce. Mix together well until you no longer see any white from the mayonnaise. Cover and set aside.
For Meat:
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. As it’s heating up, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Once hot, add the remaining green onions and garlic to the skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the ground pork and cook, breaking it down with a wooden spoon, for 7-10 minutes, until cooked through.
Add 1 tablespoon of sriracha or chili sauce and the fish sauce, sugar, and salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool for 1-2 minutes. Stir in basil, lime zest, and lime juice. Continue letting the pan cool for an additional 5 minutes.
Once the meat has cooled enough, add ½-¾ of the mayonnaise mixture and combine well (the remainder will be used later when assembling the sandwich). It is important to let the meat cool enough because if it isn’t the mayonnaise might start to run. It may still have the same taste, but not the desired texture, which is key!
For Sandwich:
To assemble the sandwich, cut your roll or baguette third in half, lengthwise. Remove the doughy interior, as you’ll need room inside to fill with ingredients!
Spread a layer of the remaining mayonnaise mixture on the bottom. Add a good heaping of the pork in the hallowed out part, lay enough cucumber matchsticks lengthwise over the meat so that the meat is covered. Top with the pickled carrots, onions, and radishes.
Garnish with jalapenos, cilantro, mint, and a few spritzes of soy sauce and fish sauce.
Enjoy!
