With its fresh herbs, fatty meat balls, acidic pickles, spicy sauce, and crunchy bread, this bánh mì variation may just be the ultimate sandwich.
Prep Time1 hourhr
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Marinading time1 hourhr
Course: Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Servings: 4people
Ingredients
2baguettes (50-60cm each)or twice the amount, half the size
For the pickled veggies
1medium carrot
120gDaikon radishor any large white radish
2tbspwhite sugar
3tbsprice vinegar
1tsptoasted sesame oil
For the meatballs
500gground pork
10gfresh cilantro
1scallion
3clovesgarlic
1tbspfish sauce
1tbspSriracha
2tspsugar
0.5tspfine salt
0.25tspground black pepper
1tbspcornstarch
1tbspneutral oil
Sauce & toppings
20gfresh cilantro
125mlmayonnaiseideally Kewpie
4tspSriracha
1spicy red chili
Instructions
Chop, chop
Wash and roughly chop the cilantro for the meatballs and the topping. You don't need to pluck the leaves, the stems are okay to eat.
Finely chop the chili. Deseed it first to decrease spiciness if desired.
Peel and julienne the carrot and radish.
Pickle the veggies
Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a mid-sized bowl and stir well.
Add the julienned carrot and radish. Marinade for at least one hour.
Make the meatballs
In a large bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients and knead until well-integrated. (Make sure reserve enough cilantro for the topping later.)
Form about 20 meat balls on a plate or baking sheet that will fit into your fridge or freezer.
If making the meatballs in advance, store in the freezer for up to a few hours. To fast-track it, place them in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Heat up some neutral oil in a medium-sized pan over medium high heat.
Fry the meatballs until cooked through and nicely browned, then side aside.
Make the sandwiches
Combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha and stir until fully integrated.
Optional but recommended: Preheat the oven to 230° C on grill setting and toast the baguettes for ~5 minutes until crunchy on the outside (but not dried out!).
Cut the baguettes in half and slice them open, but not all the way through on one side.
Spread the Sriracha mayonnaise on the bottom side.
Cut the meatballs in half and distribute on the baguettes.
Add pickled veggies, then cilantro and chopped chili.