Banh Mi Sandwich
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What exactly is a Banh Mi Sandwich?
A baguette filled with cold cuts of pork, sliced pickled carrots and radishes. That is the most common form of the Banh Mi sandwich. But this sandwich has many forms.
I stumbled on this sandwich for the first time while searching the internet for a handy sandwich to take with us on a trip. I've been hooked ever since. I love the simplicity, spiciness and different varieties of it
Originally from Vietnam, the Banh Mi sandwich is an example of the French influence on Vietnamese culture. It finds its origins in the salad sandwiches of the French countryside. Those sandwiches consist of a baguette filled with lettuce, tomato and maybe some other vegetable with a little dressing. The Vietnamese mixed that with native ingredients such as coriander, fish sauce, pickled carrots, radishes or hot peppers to create the Banh Mi sandwich.
Most variations of the sandwich have to do with meat selection, but sometimes it seems it's a free for all when it comes to the ingredients. Basis however still is the baguette as a starting point, with most recipes using the Vietnamese mayonnaise as a spread.
In Vietnam they are mostly prepared and served in small shops or by street vendors. In the rest of the world, Banh Mi shops can usually be found in areas with Vietnamese immigrants. They are also referred to as a "Saigon Sub".
I stumbled on this sandwich for the first time while searching the internet for a handy sandwich to take with us on a trip. I've been hooked ever since. I love the simplicity, spiciness and different varieties of it
Originally from Vietnam, the Banh Mi sandwich is an example of the French influence on Vietnamese culture. It finds its origins in the salad sandwiches of the French countryside. Those sandwiches consist of a baguette filled with lettuce, tomato and maybe some other vegetable with a little dressing. The Vietnamese mixed that with native ingredients such as coriander, fish sauce, pickled carrots, radishes or hot peppers to create the Banh Mi sandwich.
Most variations of the sandwich have to do with meat selection, but sometimes it seems it's a free for all when it comes to the ingredients. Basis however still is the baguette as a starting point, with most recipes using the Vietnamese mayonnaise as a spread.
In Vietnam they are mostly prepared and served in small shops or by street vendors. In the rest of the world, Banh Mi shops can usually be found in areas with Vietnamese immigrants. They are also referred to as a "Saigon Sub".
Table of contents
- Banh Mi recipes
- Tickle your taste buds with Vietnamese cuisine.
- How to make the Vietnamese mayonnaise yourself.
- What do you need besides the ingredients?
- Actual preperation of the sandwich.
- Great resource: Battle of the Banh Mi site
- Banh Mi resources
- Flickr photos tagged with "Banh Mi"
- Chef Anthony Bourdain enjoying a Banh Mi
- Banh Mi sandwiches are prepared all over the world!
- Vietnamese How To of making the Banh Mi sandwich
- Radio Canada on Banh Mi sandwiches
- Jason Kottke loves Banh Mi
- Show that you love these sandwiches with the I *heart* Banh Mi cap
- Feedback for this lens
Banh Mi recipes
On the web you can find numerous recipes for these sandwiches. Do a simple Google search and you will find many.
But everyone has favorites.
One of my favorites. However, I do add a little bit of mayo as an extra spread to the chili paste.
The recipe of Ruth Cousineau from Gourmet.com who went on an eating tour to find the best one. She created one where you can find all ingredients in your local supermarket. I however prefer the paté-filling to the liverwurst.
Best thing about the Banh Mi sandwiches is that you don't have to follow the recipes to create a great tasting sandwich. With being creative with the ingredients you can create your tasty own. You do however want to keep those oriental tastes of sweet and sour intact.
As for all recipes, the better your ingredients are, the better your final result will taste. So try and use the freshest ingredients possible to create the best tasting Banh Mi Sandwiches.
But everyone has favorites.
One of my favorites. However, I do add a little bit of mayo as an extra spread to the chili paste.
The recipe of Ruth Cousineau from Gourmet.com who went on an eating tour to find the best one. She created one where you can find all ingredients in your local supermarket. I however prefer the paté-filling to the liverwurst.
Best thing about the Banh Mi sandwiches is that you don't have to follow the recipes to create a great tasting sandwich. With being creative with the ingredients you can create your tasty own. You do however want to keep those oriental tastes of sweet and sour intact.
As for all recipes, the better your ingredients are, the better your final result will taste. So try and use the freshest ingredients possible to create the best tasting Banh Mi Sandwiches.
How to make the Vietnamese mayonnaise yourself.
Big part of most of the Banh Mi sandwiches is the mayonnaise. It's not really necessary to make your own. You can use the mayo you find in your local stores, but to be as authentic as possible you could try and make your own. It takes a bit of time to do, but it's real easy.
Ingredients:
1 egg
100 ml of vegetable oil (this could also be olive oil)
1. Separate the egg yolk and egg white. Keep the egg yolk
2. Add the egg yolk into an electric mixer. Turn on at lowest speed.
3. Add half a teaspoon of the oil into the egg yolk. Mix until the egg yolk and the oil are well blended into each other
4. Add another half a teaspoon of oil into the mixture and continue to mix until everything is finely blended.
5. Continue to add half a teaspoon of oil until you finish that 100ml
Sometimes spices are added for taste as well. Adding a little ginger, garlic or five spices really enhances the taste. Just adding a little lemon also enhances the taste. But I leave that one to your own tasting preferences.
Ingredients:
1 egg
100 ml of vegetable oil (this could also be olive oil)
1. Separate the egg yolk and egg white. Keep the egg yolk
2. Add the egg yolk into an electric mixer. Turn on at lowest speed.
3. Add half a teaspoon of the oil into the egg yolk. Mix until the egg yolk and the oil are well blended into each other
4. Add another half a teaspoon of oil into the mixture and continue to mix until everything is finely blended.
5. Continue to add half a teaspoon of oil until you finish that 100ml
Sometimes spices are added for taste as well. Adding a little ginger, garlic or five spices really enhances the taste. Just adding a little lemon also enhances the taste. But I leave that one to your own tasting preferences.
What do you need besides the ingredients?
It depends on the recipe, but for the preparation of a basic sandwich you don't need that much besides the ingredients. All you really need is:
1) a good bread knife
to cut the baguette and spread the mayo/chili paste
2) cutting board to cut your spices and vegetables
3) frying pan (preferably non-stick)
4) wooden spoon to stir
5) oven. You need a good oven. I prefer a toaster oven over any other grill or microwave/oven combo. This has all to do with evenly heating the sandwich.
1) a good bread knife
to cut the baguette and spread the mayo/chili paste2) cutting board
to cut your spices and vegetables3) frying pan
(preferably non-stick)4) wooden spoon
to stir5) oven
. You need a good oven. I prefer a toaster oven over any other grill or microwave/oven combo. This has all to do with evenly heating the sandwich. Actual preperation of the sandwich.
You have your ingredients and recipe at hand. The tools of the trade are at your fingertips. But what now?
Making a Banh Mi sandwich isn't that hard. So to give an example of how easy it actually is I'm reproducing the step-by-step preparation from the people of the passionate eater blog here. All pictures and text in italic are theirs. I've just added a few things here and there.
To make banh mi sandwiches, start with high-quality crusty French baguette. The baguette must be cut open and toasted until warm and lightly browned at the cut edges.
Lightly smear a thin coat of mayonnaise (preferably not Miracle Whip or other salad dressings with a "tangy zip") (note: of course you can use the mayo you made yourself as mentioned above. For extra "zing" you could ad a little chili sauce) on the exposed side of the bottom section of the cut bread.
Add lunch meat onto the sandwich, and when placing the meat into the sandwich, artfully "curl" the cold cuts into folded halves. Vietnamese families traditionally like to use the ham or turkey breast cold cuts. I would advise you never to use bologna or salami. You can also add Vietnamese-style barbequed pork, barbequed dark chicken meat, shredded chicken breast, slices of Vietnamese pork meatballs, fried egg, and crackly roasted pork skin. The sky is the limit as to the filling for a banh mi. Mario Batali added mango and lobster and I read a recipe that added seared tuna. I like to add liverwurst pâté in addition to the meat filling. Just as long as you line the exposed half of the bread with the meat until the bread is sufficiently covered, the sandwich should taste delicious.
Generously heap the sandwich with handfuls of a slaw mixture made of pickled and shredded carrots and daikon. This pickled slaw is what gives a banh mi sandwich its "kick" and unique flavor. To make this banh mi slaw, first shred carrots and daikon on the large holes of a box grater. I prefer using more carrots than daikon in the slaw. Then, cover the freshly shredded root vegetables with a dressing made of equal parts rice wine vinegar and white sugar (note: you could also add a little ginger). You can use distilled white vinegar too, but keep in mind that white vinegar is more tart and mouth-puckeringly sour, so you might want to modify the sugar-vinegar content if you use it. The slaw should taste more sweet than sour. You should marinate the slaw for at least two hours before using it. Drain the slaw well before you place it on the sandwich, and don't worry if the daikon turns orange from the carrots. Use your hands to squeeze out the excess moisture, wringing out the pickling juice from the slaw as best you can.
Add a scattering of cut jalapeno rings (with seeds included) and several full sprigs cilantro (note: using red onions works as well). You may also add slices or slivers of cool cucumber here. Finally, cover the sandwich with the remaining half of the cut loaf.
See how easy that was! Now go out and make yourself some delicious Vietnamese street sandwiches!
And as you can see, they are right. Simple to make but very tasty!
The original blog post can be found on the passionate eater blog.
Making a Banh Mi sandwich isn't that hard. So to give an example of how easy it actually is I'm reproducing the step-by-step preparation from the people of the passionate eater blog here. All pictures and text in italic are theirs. I've just added a few things here and there.
To make banh mi sandwiches, start with high-quality crusty French baguette. The baguette must be cut open and toasted until warm and lightly browned at the cut edges.
Lightly smear a thin coat of mayonnaise (preferably not Miracle Whip or other salad dressings with a "tangy zip") (note: of course you can use the mayo you made yourself as mentioned above. For extra "zing" you could ad a little chili sauce) on the exposed side of the bottom section of the cut bread.
Add lunch meat onto the sandwich, and when placing the meat into the sandwich, artfully "curl" the cold cuts into folded halves. Vietnamese families traditionally like to use the ham or turkey breast cold cuts. I would advise you never to use bologna or salami. You can also add Vietnamese-style barbequed pork, barbequed dark chicken meat, shredded chicken breast, slices of Vietnamese pork meatballs, fried egg, and crackly roasted pork skin. The sky is the limit as to the filling for a banh mi. Mario Batali added mango and lobster and I read a recipe that added seared tuna. I like to add liverwurst pâté in addition to the meat filling. Just as long as you line the exposed half of the bread with the meat until the bread is sufficiently covered, the sandwich should taste delicious.
Generously heap the sandwich with handfuls of a slaw mixture made of pickled and shredded carrots and daikon. This pickled slaw is what gives a banh mi sandwich its "kick" and unique flavor. To make this banh mi slaw, first shred carrots and daikon on the large holes of a box grater. I prefer using more carrots than daikon in the slaw. Then, cover the freshly shredded root vegetables with a dressing made of equal parts rice wine vinegar and white sugar (note: you could also add a little ginger). You can use distilled white vinegar too, but keep in mind that white vinegar is more tart and mouth-puckeringly sour, so you might want to modify the sugar-vinegar content if you use it. The slaw should taste more sweet than sour. You should marinate the slaw for at least two hours before using it. Drain the slaw well before you place it on the sandwich, and don't worry if the daikon turns orange from the carrots. Use your hands to squeeze out the excess moisture, wringing out the pickling juice from the slaw as best you can.
Add a scattering of cut jalapeno rings (with seeds included) and several full sprigs cilantro (note: using red onions works as well). You may also add slices or slivers of cool cucumber here. Finally, cover the sandwich with the remaining half of the cut loaf.
See how easy that was! Now go out and make yourself some delicious Vietnamese street sandwiches!
And as you can see, they are right. Simple to make but very tasty!
The original blog post can be found on the passionate eater blog.
Great resource: Battle of the Banh Mi site
If you have become a fan of these sandwiches (and let's be honest here: you become a fan the moment after you tasted one) there's another great resource (besides this lens) when it comes to everything that has to do with Banh Mi sandwiches.
The Battle of the Banh Mi is a great site, filled with recipes, videos and information on stores you can purchase one of these tasty sandwiches. The site is beautifully designed, has easy navigation and the pictures are mouthwatering.
Highly recommended.
The Battle of the Banh Mi is a great site, filled with recipes, videos and information on stores you can purchase one of these tasty sandwiches. The site is beautifully designed, has easy navigation and the pictures are mouthwatering.
Highly recommended.
Banh Mi resources
Here are some links with more resources found on the web about Bahn Mi sandwiches.
Wikipedia page about the sandwich
The Battle of the Banh Mi: a site for Banh Mi lovers with all kinds of resources.
Wikibook page about the sandwich.
Banh Mi, Oh My! | Sippity Sup : Greg Henry on his experiences on eating what he calls a real Banh Mi sandwich.
Wikipedia page about the sandwich
The Battle of the Banh Mi: a site for Banh Mi lovers with all kinds of resources.
Wikibook page about the sandwich.
Banh Mi, Oh My! | Sippity Sup : Greg Henry on his experiences on eating what he calls a real Banh Mi sandwich.
Flickr photos tagged with "Banh Mi"
Chef Anthony Bourdain enjoying a Banh Mi
Chef Anthony Bourdain from the Travel Channel enjoying a Banh Mi sandwich from one of the street vendors in Vietnam.
Banh Mi sandwiches are prepared all over the world!
The preparation of a Banh Mi sandwich in a restaurant in Paris.
Vietnamese How To of making the Banh Mi sandwich
Extensive video of the preparation of the Banh Mi in Vietnamese (some English thrown in).
Radio Canada on Banh Mi sandwiches
Youtube video (in French) from Radio Canada on the popularity of the sandwich.
Jason Kottke loves Banh Mi
Jason Kottke is one of the Top 100 bloggers according to Technorati. He's also a big fan of the sandwich according to this post.
Owke, we got one of the Top 100 bloggers. Only 99 more to go :)
Owke, we got one of the Top 100 bloggers. Only 99 more to go :)
Show that you love these sandwiches with the I *heart* Banh Mi cap
Feedback for this lens
If you have feedback or comments for this lens or maybe just want to say hi, please feel free to do so.
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blanckj
Sep 1, 2011 @ 6:52 am | delete
- This looks very interesting and delicious! I am learning so much about food and everything is so new to me. Thanks for sharing.
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rosytaylor
Jul 29, 2011 @ 4:48 am | delete
- Hi! This is an amazing and Awesome lens and very informative too. Nicely done, Keep up your great work!
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JollyvilleChick
Oct 8, 2010 @ 10:26 am | delete
- I've never heard of it before but it sounds and looks delicious.
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clouda9
Sep 14, 2010 @ 8:48 pm | delete
- Just heard of a Banh Mi sandwich in a forum I was reading today...had to hop over here to Squidoo to see if anyone had made a page...tada, I find yours. Yum to the sandwich and big thumbs up on your presentation.
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poutine
Nov 22, 2009 @ 11:35 am | delete
- I would definitively try this yummy looking sandwich.
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