Today we go in search of the elusive French / Vietnamese hybrid sandwich called the banh mi. A.K.A the “Saigon Sub”, A.K.A the “Vietnamese Sub,” A.K.A the “Vietnamese Po’ Boy”, A.K.A. the “Vietnamese Hoagie”, or simply the ”Vietnamese Sandwich”. Technically banh mi is a type of baguette made with both wheat and rice flour, but in the west the name refers to the sandwich.
These sandwiches come in many flavors as you can imagine such as chicken, eggs, tofu, you name it. But here we give you my favorite, the pork meatball supreme. As for the vegetable accompaniment, I go with lightly pickled daikon radishes, carrots and jalapenos (of course) with several sprigs of cilantro to cool things down. Did I mention I slather on some spicy mayo made with Sriracha sauce.
If you are lucky enough to have access to a local restaurant or food truck peddling banh mi’s, please partake and enjoy the goodness. But if you don’t, make this one at home for the next best thing. This will be a good reason to go out and buy a bottle of Sriracha; you will thank me for it.
Recipe is a variation of Jeanne Kelley’s of Bon Appetit.
INGREDIENTS:
For the spicy mayo
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon or so Sriracha chili sauce
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the sandwiches
- 1 cup coarsely grated carrots
- 1 cup coarsely grated peeled daikon
- 1 jalapeno, sliced super thin with most seeds wiped away
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 long baguettes
- fresh cilantro sprigs
PREPARATION:
For the spicy mayo
Stir all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt to taste. You can and should make extra and cover and save in the fridge for slather on just about anything.
For the meatballs
Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Using moistened hands, roll meat mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Arrange on baking sheet. This can be done in advance, just cover and chill in the fridge. Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat sesame oil in large wok or skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, add meatballs and slowly sauté until brown on all sides. Transfer meatballs to a baking sheet. Place in oven and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes just to make sure they done but do not over cook them as they will dry out.
For the sandwiches
Toss first 7 ingredients together in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, tossing occasionally. Cut each baguette horizontally in half and pull out enough bread from the top half to leave 1/2 inch thick shell. Spread spicy mayo over each side and arrange some of the daikon / carrot / jalapenos mixture, then cilantro, in bottom halves. Fill the dug out shell with 3 meatballs. Press and serve.
Makes 4 bahn mi’s
Heat Factor
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@ChiliCheeseFry Loving your spicy site http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1A155K/chi...
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Twitter: sjula
Made these over the weekend and they were super delicious. If anyone is thinking about making them, they are super simple to make and good for a group of people.
Steve!´s last blog ..Hello 2010!
So glad you enjoyed them Steve!
This looks great. I’ve wanted to make it ever since I first saw the Bon Appetit recipe in their recent issue.
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/01/pork_meatball_banh_mi
Keep up the good work.
I got this recipe through an email submission. They must have gotten from there or through psychic ability. I will accredit to BA and Jeanne Kelley.
Oh and you have to give these a try soon.
This sandwich looks and sounds delicious. I’ve never had one, but have read abit about it. And Darnit!!! I was at H-Mart today looking for those pickled radishes and ran out of time. I know they are hiding in there somewhere. Regarding the above comment about Pho. I’m making fake Pho tonight. I chickened out on those oxtails and making the stock, but will be using some Pho seasoning and some veal broth. Love it. Can’t wait to try this sandwich.
Lea Ann´s last blog ..Field Trip For Sticky Lips Chicken
Well you pickle the carrots, daikons and peppers as part of the recipe so no need to buy then that way. They rest in a mixture of vinegar, salt and sugar for a while which gives them this awesome mellow sweet sour taste. Hope you enjoy!
I like homemade meatballs for real! My mother used to make some for me and I love it than those meatballs in the supermarket.
I just want to take a big ol’ bite out of that baby! I have a killer Lamb Meatball recipe I think might go well prepared like this as well. Thanks for sharing that!
Caveman Cooking´s last blog ..Sauteed Shrooms
YUM! Would ground beef work just as well, or is pork the only way to go?
Kat´s last blog ..Roasted Vegetable Baked Pasta
Good question. I would think beef would work unless it comes across too heavy.
This looks amazing! I recently made Pho for the first time. This may have to be the next Vietnamese dish that I try to master!
Curiouseats – Lissa´s last blog ..10 Weeks of Soup – Week One: Healthy Pork Tortilla Soup
I want to try Pho, do you have a recipe on your blog?
this looks so good! never seen anything like it!
lk´s last blog ..Potato and Chorizo Tacos
It’s spicy, sweet and sour all rolled into one sandwich.
I love homemade meatballs. I would like to try your recipe, too!
Sook´s last blog ..Warm Basil Tortellini Salad
RT @ChiliCheeseFry: Pork Meatball Banh mi http://chilicheesefries.net/pork-meatbal...
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Thanks for thr RT!