These delicious Vietnamese sandwiches with pork meatballs, fresh cucumber, pickled vegetables and spicy mayo are a great dinner option if you are looking to try something new.
Banh mi sandwiches have quickly become one of my favorites even though I had never heard of one or tried one until just a few years ago. I love how wonderfully all the flavor combine in a nice french baguette. There are lots of different options for a banh mi sandwich, but this version is fairly easy to make at home. You can make the mayo ahead of time, and even the uncooked meatballs. Almost all the ingredients are readily available at your local grocery store. The one ingredient that might be tricky to find is daikon (Japanese radish), but I have seen them at stores like Sprouts or Whole Foods. If you can’t find any, you can go without it and the sandwich will still turn out great. If you haven’t ever tried a bahn mi, you should make these! They may take you out of your comfort zone a little but I think the flavors are definitely something worth trying. Maybe this will become your new favorite sandwich too!
Banh Mi Sandwiches
Mayo Spread:
1 tablespoon sriracha
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 green onions, finely chopped
Mix together in a small bowl and set aside.
Pickled Vegetables:
2 cups grated carrots
2 cups grated peeled daikon (Japanese white radish)
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Mix together in a bowl and allow to sit at room temperature while you cook the meatballs.
Meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil for cooking
In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the meatballs. Form into roughly 1 inch meatballs and leave in bowl. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and sauté until brown and cooked through, carefully turning meatballs. I recommend using a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of your meatballs.
For the Sandwiches:
4 sandwich baguettes
1 cucumber thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
Cilantro sprigs