Photo by Farideh Sadeghin
Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
for the Viet pickle:
1 pound|454 grams daikon, or 2 (8-ounce|227-gram) purple-top turnips or watermelon radishes
1 (6-ounce|171-gram) carrot
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar, plus ½ cup
1 ¼ cups|296 ml distilled white vinegar (preferably Heinz)for the char siu chicken:
1¾ pounds|794 grams boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large garlic clove, put through a press or minced and mashed
¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
2 tablespoons honey, preferably amber colored
brimming 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
scant 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oilfor the bread (choose one):
small French baguette or Bolillo roll
hand-span section of French baguette
any light, airy breadfor the fat (choose one):
mayonnaise (regular or flavored)
salted European-style butter
thin avocado slicesfor the seasoning (choose one or more):
Bragg liquid aminos
Maggi seasoning sauce
soy sauce
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepperfor the sandwich:
3 or 4 thin slices medium-hot chile, such as jalapeño or fresno
4 to 6 cucumber strips, rounds, or ovals, a scant ¼-inch thick
1 to 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped or hand-torn cilantro sprigs, mint leaves, or basil leaves
Directions
- Make the Viet pickle: Peel and cut the daikon into sticks about 3 inches long and ¼-inch thick (the width of an average chopstick). Peel and cut the carrot into sticks a little skinnier than the daikon.
- Put both vegetables in a bowl and toss with the salt and 2 teaspoons sugar. Massage and knead for 3 minutes, or set aside for 20 minutes, until you can bend a piece of daikon so the tips touch without breaking. They will have lost about a quarter of their original volume.
- Rinse the vegetables with water, drain in a mesh strainer or colander, and press or shake to expel excess water. Transfer to a 4-cup|946-ml jar.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining ½ cup|120 ml sugar with the vinegar and 1 cup water until dissolved. Pour enough of the liquid into the jar to cover the vegetables, discard any excess, and let sit for 1 hour. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 1 month.
- Prepare the char siu chicken: Pat the chicken thighs with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then trim and discard any big fat pads. If the thighs are large or super uneven in thickness, butterfly each one. Lay the thigh, smooth-side down, on your cutting board. Wielding your knife horizontally, slash the big mound of flesh to create a flap of meat, stopping just shy of cutting all the way through. Fold back the meat flap that you just created. The thigh should now be about 50% longer and relatively even in thickness. If the result seems awkwardly large, cut it crosswise into two smaller, square-ish pieces. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, five-spice powder, honey, hoisin, soy sauce, ketchup, and sesame oil. Remove 3 tablespoons and set aside for glazing the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl, coating the pieces well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 24 hours (return to room temperature before cooking).
- Lightly oil a cast-iron stove-top grill pan and set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning several times. To test for doneness, pierce the flesh with the tip of a knife; the chicken is cooked when clear juices flow out. During the last 2 minutes, when the chicken feels firmish, baste with the reserved marinade to freshen flavor and add sheen. Transfer to a platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- Make the sandwich: If the bread is soft, rub the crust with wet hands to moisten and then crisp in a 350°F oven for about 7 minutes. Otherwise, bake it at 325°F for 3 - 6 minutes. Let it cool a few minutes, then use a serrated bread knife to slit the bread open horizontally, maintaining a hinge, if possible. Hollow out some of the inside to make room for the filling.
- Spread your chosen fat on the two cut sides of bread, covering all the way to the edges. If using avocado, lay down thin slices and mash them so they adhere to the bread. Season as you like, layer the chicken on the bottom half of the bread, and top with the vegetables and pickles. Close and cut crosswise or keep whole to eat.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This recipe has been reprinted with permission of the author from Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors.Get recipes like this and more in the Munchies Recipes newsletter. Sign up here.
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FAQs
It represents the unique fusion that takes place in Vietnam between Asian flavours (coriander, pickles, chili, fish sauce) and the French colonials who taught the locals how to bake baguettes, and introduced things like pate. With many foreigner, it is the coriander that makes a banh mi sandwich taste so unique.
Can you have banh mi without pate? ›
Spreads and sauces
“It's not a Banh Mi without pate!” she declares vehemently. While some Banh Mi vendors make their own secret sauce, this is the most common sauce used straight out of the bottle.
Should banh mi be hot? ›
the perfect make ahead: banh mi can be served hot or cold that's why they are great to make ahead. with the correct bread these things can hold assembled an entire day that's why the crust on the bread is important it keeps it from getting soggy. SIMILAR INGREDIENTS TO: SPICY BEEF AND BRUSSEL SPROUT SLAW SANDWICH.
How do you eat a Banh Mi sandwich? ›
In Hanoi, one of the most popular ways to eat the banh mi is to serve it with a small pan of sizzling hot toppings, which explains the name banh mi chao. This is thought to be inherited from the French eating culture, with the banh mi and toppings served separately and eaten with a knife and fork.
What's the best banh mi meat? ›
Pate – pork or chicken, the very best Banh Mi vendors make their own. Any normal pate that's not heavily flavoured with liquor or a flavouring like orange is just fine. Mayo – mayo + pate creates a unique juiciness and savoury richness that we know and love about Banh Mi!
What is the most popular type of banh mi? ›
' The original pork, pâté, and pickles sandwich is known as a bánh mì thịt ngoui, 'bread, meat and cold cuts. ' Or as it's also sometimes known, bánh mì đặc biệt, — 'the special. ' The most popular bánh mì at most local shops is usually the lemongrass-marinated grilled pork version.
What side dish goes with banh mi? ›
What's Good With A Banh Mi Sandwich? Here's Your List Of Sides!
- Meat. • 1 Air fryer potato chips. • 1 Bacon cabbage stir fry.
- Produce. • 1 Napa cabbage. • 1 Popeye's cajun french fries. ...
- Canned Goods. • 1 Tomato soup. • 1 Vegetable soup. ...
- Frozen. • 1 Spring rolls, Fresh. ...
- Deli. • 1 Macaroni salad. ...
- Other. • Do Chua.
Traditional Vietnamese sandwiches have more of a yellow aioli style mayo used from dark chicken yolks but Hellman's original mayo or salted butter are also great substitutes. 6. Pate: Chicken liver mousse / pate is a must for me as well. It adds that super savory and buttery fat to the banh mi!
What does banh mi mean in English? ›
Bánh Mì (pronounced BUN-mee) is the Vietnamese term for “bread”, but it also refers to a special kind of sandwich: a culinary fusion of two cultures and a prime example of how food is always tied with history… The story begins in the mid-19th century when Vietnam fell under French colonial rule.
What is banh mi sauce made of? ›
Make the sauce: In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, hoisin sauce and sriracha and season with salt and pepper. Set aside, or make ahead and refrigerate.
In Vietnamese cuisine, bánh mì or banh mi (/ˈbɑːn miː/, /ˈbæn/; Vietnamese: [ɓǎjŋ̟ mì], 'bread') is a short baguette with thin, crisp crust and a soft, airy texture.
What time do people eat dinner in Vietnam? ›
Exploring Vietnamese dinner customs
It is common for dinner to be served between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM.
What sauce to eat with banh tet? ›
It's unusually good dipped in sugar with some tangy pickle to cut the sweetness and richness. Other people like soy sauce. Many southern Vietnamese like banh tet with dried shrimp and pickled leek (củ kiệu, the same as Japanese rakkyo), sold in small cans or larger jars at Asian markets.
Do they sell banh mi in Vietnam? ›
Bánh mì, the streetside sandwich loved by so many, is now one of the most iconic Vietnamese dishes. But its apparent simplicity is deceptive. Locals have reinvented the staple again and again, in every corner of the country. Exploring the bánh mì scene in Vietnam is one of the tastiest journeys you can take.
What makes banh mi bread different? ›
It's All About the Bread
The bread is baked using the classic technique, making the baguette crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. To throw in a bit of Asian flair, the Banh Mi bread is made with half wheat and half rice flour to give it that light and airy feel.
What does banh mi symbolize? ›
Before long, the Bánh Mì became a mainstay of Vietnamese cuisine. To Vietnamese, it represented overcoming and national pride – a modern food for a modern country that could be taken and eaten on the go.
What is different about banh mi baguette? ›
Even more crucial though is the softer texture of banh mi; while some French baguettes can have a hardier crust, this adaptation is extremely light and fluffy, with a much thinner, crumbly crust and airy interior.
Is banh mi the perfect sandwich? ›
Banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich made on a toasted French baguette, may be the world's most perfect sandwich. There are a riot of flavors and textures in every bite that balance each other perfectly.
