Dreams of travel and food
This Pork Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich) is inspired by the flavors of Vietnam. If you haven’t gone, I suggest booking a trip sooner rather than later. Beautiful scenery, friendly locals and delectable food.
Haunted by bread and pork
Each and every time I visited this beautiful country, I gorged myself on food especially anything pork or bread-related. More should be written about the perfection that is Vietnamese bread (Bánh mì). A remembrance of the French colonization, the Vietnamese have taken on the baguette and done genius things with it. It’s soft, chewy and often filled with delicious treats, including something else they treat very well – pork. The Vietnamese do this meat beautifully in many of their dishes.
Making do
Sadly, I am far away from Vietnam but the memory of their delicious Banh Mi remains near and dear. What can one do when so far away from such sandwich masters? Guess I will just have to throw together a passable substitute. For right now, I will make do with juicy lean pork marinated in ginger, garlic, shallots and various sauces then grilled to perfection and stuffed into a soft and chewy baguette. Topped with sliced cucumber, tomato, lettuce and your favorite condiments and you’ve got yourself one hell of a tasty substitute.
The Pork
The sandwich
Pork Banh Mi (Vietnamese Pork Sandwich)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 sandwiches 1x
Description
This Banh Mi is made with pork marinated in ginger, garlic, shallots and various other sauces then grilled and stuffed into a baguette to make a tasty sandwich. #pork #sandwich #Vietnamese
Ingredients
- 2–3 shallots
- 4–5 cloves of garlic
- 3–4 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 2–3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 400–500g (14-17.6 oz) lean pork (loin, topside, or knuckle will do)
- 1–2 baguette
- 1–2 tomatoes (sliced thinly)
- 1 large cucumber (sliced thinly)
- Fresh Herb Pesto (optional)
- lettuce (handful, enough for a sandwich)
- mayonnaise (optional)
- sriracha (optional)
- toothpicks (to hold it all together)
Instructions
- Combine shallots, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, sweet chili sauce and vegetable oil together and puree until smooth.
- Mix marinade with pork and let sit in the fridge for 8 hours to overnight.
- When ready to cook, remove pork from the refrigerator and let warm to room temperature.
- Once at room temperature grill over medium-high heat until pork is cooked through and internal temperature has reached 145F/63C. If a grill is not available, then you can place in under the broiler for 10-15 minutes. Be watchful when cooking with pork as it has a tendency to quickly dry out if overcooked.
- When pork is fully cooked, remove from heat and let rest for about 5 minutes before cutting it into strips.
- Cut a baguette in half lengthwise.
- Spread fresh herb pesto on the bottom half
- Top with sliced cucumber and tomato.
- Place sliced pork strips atop of sliced cucumber and tomato
- Drizzle with mayonnaise and sriracha (optional)
- Top with a few leaves of lettuce
- Place the top half of the baguette on top and secure it in place with toothpicks.
- Cut into individual sandwiches and serve. This should make 4-6 sandwiches. Goes great with a salad or sweet potato wedges.
Notes
Grill for a more authentic flavor.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Sandwich, Pork
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Vietnamese/ Asian
Liven up the humdrum with these pork recipes:
Armadillo Pork Burgers (Cheese Stuffed Chile Burgers)
Pistachio Encrusted Pork Schnitzel with Cream Sauce
Fried Pork Chops with Pineapple Thyme Reduction
