This Banh Mi! This post (Vietnamese sandwich), was last updated on 2022.
What’s the best part? What? Do not You don’t need to travel far to find Vietnamese sandwiches! This Banh Mi recipe is for all of the following: Real meatsAs well as how to make one Banh Mi exceptionalYou can simply go to your Everyday grocery store 🙌🏻
You can have authentic tasting Banh Mi in a matter of minutes by just going to the local grocery store. Yes, you can!
Banh Mi recipe
Fellow Banh Mi lovers, this one’s for you! A recipe that’s been in the works for a Very long time, with much taste-testing research done (it’s hard work, but someone’s gotta do it… 😂).
In today’s Banh Mi recipe, I’m going to show you:
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What Banh Mi vendors use –These authentic ingredients are used by Banh Mi sellers in Australia and Vietnam.
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Vietnamese Grocery Stores – What and where to go Vietnamese grocery storesThe most Closely copiesThe original ingredients
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Normal grocery stores – how to make a seriously authentic Tasting Banh Mi with just a trip to your local grocery store (Woolies, Coles 🇦🇺🇦🇺); and
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Variations – two popular variations of the classic cold cuts version: softest ever Vietnamese Banh Mi meatballs and shredded chicken.
What is Banh Mi?
Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich that’s made up of an odd sounding combination – crusty bread rolls smeared with pate, mayo, suspicious looking Asian ham, pickled vegetables, green onion, coriander/cilantro, a mighty wack of fresh chillies and drizzle of seasoning.
It It tastes like a ham sandwich, but with Asian freshness. It’s a sensation of flavours and textures that’s generated All over the globe, a cult follows.. The most sought after Banh Mi vendors have lengthy queues from early morning – both here and in Vietnam!
I certainly had more than my fair share of Banh Mi when I was in Vietnam last year…. Here I am trying to get one down on the streets in Saigon. One for now, two for snacking on later…. 😇
What is the banh mi?
This Banh Mi recipe isn’t so much of a recipe as it is about sourcing the right ingredients and how to assemble it. It’s a nice change! No cooking! 😂
Here’s what you need:
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Vietnamese cold cuts (more info below, including subs) – or Vietnamese meatballs or chicken, two popular varieties I’m also sharing today.
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Very crispy baguettes – just really good, normal bread rolls. Crunchy on the outside, soft and tender inside. You should find that the crust is crumbly everywhere when you cut open the baguette. 👍🏼
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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.
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Mayo – mayo + pate creates a unique juiciness and savoury richness that we know and love about Banh Mi!
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Pickled carrot – simple to make, the soft crunch and tartness is such a great contrast to the other textures and flavours
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Cucumber, coriander/cilantro green onion, chilli – the freshness and spiciness that we know and love about Banh Mi!
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Maggi Seasoning – or just soy sauce. You can drizzle a little bit to top it off.
Banh Mi meat
1. Authentic Banh Mi Meat
The Banh Mi meat shown in the photo is real cold cuts that I bought from a Banh Mi store in Sydney.
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Vietnamese “Brawn” (Thi Nguoi) – I call this “Pink Ham” and it’s probably unworldly of me to admit this, but I don’t particularly enjoy the flavour or texture. 😂 The speckles are kind of rubbery/crunchy (it’s pig skin/ears) – but when it’s bundled up with everything else in the Banh Mi, it’s part of the overall eating experience!
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Pork loaf (Cha Lua) – basically the pork version of the more common chicken loaf sold at everyday delis.
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Grilled/roast pork slices – The best Vietnamese Sandwich places use pork belly for flavour and richness. Any pork roast cold cuts work just fine here – I just get it from my local deli – or thinly sliced leftover Pork Roast!
2. Banh Mi meat from a Vietnamese grocery store
If you live near a Vietnamese grocery store*, the good news is that you can purchase the Pink Ham and Pork Loaf for a very reasonable price – and it comes vac packed so it lasts for ages.
Although I have not been able to find the sliced roast pork, it tastes very similar to the cold cuts that are sold at every day delis.
* Sydney – find Vietnamese grocery stores that carry these in Vietnamese neighbourhoods such as Marrickville, Cabramatta and Homebush. Just Google “Vietnamese restaurant Homebush” and a map will pop up with a cluster of restaurants in that area – that’s where the grocery stores are too.
3. Banh Mi Meats at your Local Grocery Store
OK! Now here’s the part I’m MOST excited about – the BEST substitutions for Banh Mi Meat you can buy from the deli at everyday local supermarket (Woolies, Coles 🇦🇺🇦🇺):
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Cold cuts of roast pork
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Chicken loaf
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Brawn (also known head cheese).
The textures and flavours of these once combined with all the other “stuff” that’s crammed into the baguette, the overall taste is astonishingly similar to a real Banh Mi!
Different types and fillings for Banh Mi
There’s actually a wide variety of fillings both in and outside of Vietnam, ranging from fish to grilled meats, pork floss, tofu and even ice cream!
The most well known ones that I’m sharing today are:
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Vietnamese hams – the classic!
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Smashed pork meatballs – hugely popular and my personal favourite. The softest meatballs in the world because they’re gently poached rather than pan fried. These cold cuts are very popular with people who aren’t too sure about Vietnamese cold cuts. 😂
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Shredded chicken – very popular here in Australia, especially in non ethnic suburbs (like, ahem, the Northern Beaches in Sydney were I reside…😉)
Smashed Pork Meatball Mi
If you ever see me standing outside a Banh Mi shop, it’s probably because I’m paralysed with indecision, torn between sticking with the classic or going with my personal favourite – Banh Mi meatballs. 😩 (#FirstWorldProblems)
The agony of indecision is usually resolved by either: a) ensuring someone I’m with is getting the other version; b) getting one of each. 🤷🏻♀️
Banh Mi pork meatballs may well be the softest meatball you’ll ever have because they’re poached in a Vietnamese broth rather than pan fried. This makes them easy to “smash” to squish into the baguette – the soft texture makes them meld in so nicely with the pate and mayo!
See here for the recipe –Banh Mi Meatballs
Chicken Banh mi
Although not as popular in Vietnam, shredded chicken Banh Mi has become a hugely popular Sydney dish.
It’s also a really quick ‘n easy way to get a Banh Mi fix, and a great way to make one rotisserie chicken feed plenty of people (1 medium size probably makes 8 – 10 Banh Mi).
Banh Mi Sauce
Maggi Seasoning is, unbelievably, the most commonly used sauce by Banh Mi vendors! Maggi Seasoning is like an Asian Worcestershire sauce – it’s got more layers of flavour than straight soy sauce.
Some shops mix their own using a combination of soy, fish sauce, garlic and sugar – I’ve provided a copycat of Maggi Seasoning in the recipe!
Maggi Seasoning can be purchased at major supermarkets in Australia (eg Woolies), and Asian grocery shops.
Refrozen Asian Worcestershire sauce can be used to enhance Asian cuisines with umami flavor! Also can use in place of soy sauce – but use about half the quantity because Maggi Seasoning is saltier.
Assembling
The irony of Banh Mi – after all that explanation and photos – is that the making part is a cinch. It’s no more difficult than any other sandwich! 😂
Here’s how it’s assembled:
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Split the roll down the top middle (not along the side like you’d normally do)
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Smear with pate then mayo on one side (both if you’re feeling super indulgent)
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Put the cucumber strips, carrot, and green onion in a bowl. Then add the coriander/cilantro.
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Finish with a sprinkle of chilli (go hard or go home!😂) and a little sprinkle of Maggi Seasoning (about 1/2 tsp)
How to eat it/keep it
You don’t need me to tell you how to eat a sandwich, but I’m going to tell you anyway!
You will need to grab the crusty roll and give it a good squeeze so that everything is incorporated. Then, you can deflate it so it fits inside your mouth. (OK, so this is not an official Banh Mi Eating Technique, it’s just what I do 😂)
As you munch through it, you get breadcrumbs down the front of your (probably black) top, you’ve probably got mayo and pate smeared around your mouth, and there’s probably bits of carrot sticking out of your mouth.
You know you look totally unclassy and you just don’t care. Cause you’re eating a BANH MI!! – Nagi x
PS Oh – the keeping part! You can take the sauce with you to go. Just keep it in a separate container and add the sauce just before eating. Other than that, the roll will keep for a day or so in the fridge, though it won’t be quite as crusty. Takeaway Banh Mi is a favorite of mine. The only thing missing is the crustiness.
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Banh Mi recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Crunchy long bread rolls (Note 1)
- 6 tbsp Pork or chicken pate (Note 2)
- 6 tbsp mayonnaise (Note 3)
- 4 – 8 Slices Thi Nguoi (“pink ham”) OR brawn (aka head cheese, Note 4)
- 4 – 8 Slices Cha Lua Vietnamese pork loaf OR chicken loaf (Note 5)
- 4 – 8 Slices Roasted or grilled pork with cold cuts (Note 6)
- 1.5 Cups fresh coriander/cilantro sprigs (Note 7)
- 2 Cucumbers Finely sliced lengthwise and cut into long strips
- 4 green onion stems Cut the rolls in half.
- 2 Red chillies – Finely sliced (or even more!) (or less…)
- 2 tsp Maggi Seasoning Note 8: For drizzling
Pickled Carrots
- 4 medium carrots Peeled into 2-3mm / 1/10” batons
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml). Warm water , Boil
- 1/2 cup (100g). White sugar
- 4 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup (185ml). rice wine vinegar (sub apple cider vinegar)
There are other filling options
- Pork meatballs for Banh Mi (Note 9)
- Poached chicken or shredded rotisserie (Note 10)
Instructions
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Split rolls down from the top (see video).
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Spread 1.5 tbsp pate one side, and 1.5 tbsp mayonnaise the other.
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Layer in the hams as well as the cucumber slices and green onions.
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Place plenty of coriander sprigs and carrots in your bag.
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Sprinkle fresh chilli as often as you can!
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Maggi Seasoning (about 1/2 teaspoon per roll):
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Place the sandwiches together and enjoy!
Variations:
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Banh Mi pork meatballs For each Banh Mi, you will need 3 meatballs. Take out excess sauce and cut the meatballs in half. Then, stuff them into Banh Mis.
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Shredded chickenUse in place of ham. I use store-bought chicken rotisserie chicken a lot for convenience.
Pickled Carrots
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In the hot water, dissolve salt and sugar. Then add rice vinegar.
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Add carrot and let it stand for at most 1 hour. It should be slightly tangy, floppy, with a soft crunch.
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Drain the water and then use it in your recipe.
Recipe Notes
2. Pate Chicken pate or pork pate or a combination of both. Any flavor is fine, as long it doesn’t contain strong alcohol or an orange-like color.
3. MayonnaiseSimply use it every day!
4. Thi Nguoi “Pink Ham” You can find it in round logs at Vietnamese grocery shops. Cut off the rubbery outer layer. SUB: Brawn from any of the everyday delis (eg Coles, Woolies) or head cheese. Quantity:Each roll should be equal in length.
5. Pork loaf (Cha Lua) – basically the pork version of the more common chicken loaf sold at everyday delis. This item can be found in Vietnamese grocery shops. Sub: Chicken loaf from every day delis!
6. Grilled/roast pork slices – authentic is to use pork belly cold cuts. I cannot find them in Vietnamese grocery shops so I use supermarket roast pork pieces – it tastes the same but has less fat!
7. Coriander/cilantroThis is an essential part of Banh Mi’s eating experience! You can substitute plain or garlic-chives for coriander lovers.
8. Maggi SeasoningThis is basically Asian Worcestershire sauce. It has more flavour depth than soy sauce. Available at Asian grocery shops and large supermarkets in Australia, such as Woolies. You can use leftovers to add umami to recipes.
Maggi Seasoning Sub: Either ordinary soy sauce, OR quick homemade – 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tbsp fish sauce + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce + 1/4 tsp sugar. Mix until dissolved.
9. Meatball Banh Mi These meatballs are my personal favorite. They are the best! Meatballs are very popular in Sydney, and I was able to find them at almost every Banh Mi seller in Vietnam.
10. Shredded ChickenThis is a very popular Australian dish! It’s a quick and easy way to enjoy a Banh Mi fix.
11. Storage The best way to eat a roll fresh is to make sure it’s crunchy and not too soft. Banh Mi vendors often offer take-out – keep the sauce separate.
12. Nutrition per portionDid my best and used nutrition information to make the closest cold cuts I could find nutritional info for!
Nutrition Information:
Dozer life
I know I shared this photo recently, but I only shared it on Instagram yesterday and asked people what they’d caption it. I couldn’t resist sharing some of the hilarious responses here.
