Shortcut Banh Mi With Pickled Carrots and Daikon

Shortcut Banh Mi With Pickled Carrots and Daikon
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(1,190)
Comments
Read comments

Authenticity is not the goal of this banh mi. Nor is coming up with a newfangled variation. This is a sandwich that, with quick work, maintains the porky-pickled-fiery essence of a classic banh mi with easy-to-find ingredients.

Featured in: Vietnam, and Make It Snappy

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

    For the Pickled Vegetables

    • ¾cup shredded carrots
    • ¾cup thinly sliced Persian, Kirby or European cucumbers
    • ½cup shredded daikon radish
    • 2tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
    • 2tablespoons sugar
    • ¼teaspoon kosher salt

    For the Pork

    • ½cup mayonnaise
    • 4tablespoons finely chopped scallions
    • 2 to 3tablespoons sriracha or other chili sauce, to taste
    • 1tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
    • 4garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 1pound ground pork
    • 2tablespoons Asian fish sauce
    • ½teaspoon black pepper
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1teaspoon sugar
    • ½cup chopped fresh basil
    • Finely grated zest of 1 lime
    • Juice of ½ lime

    For the Sandwich

    • 6small hero rolls or 2 baguettes cut into thirds, split
    • Fresh jalapeño, thinly sliced and seeded, for serving
    • Mint sprigs, for serving
    • Cilantro sprigs, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

481 calories; 35 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 898 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. For the Pickled Vegetables

    1. Step 1

      To make the pickled vegetables: In a bowl, toss together the carrots, cucumbers, daikon, vinegar, sugar and salt and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

    2. Step 2

      Meanwhile, make the pork. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon scallions and 1 to 2 tablespoons chili sauce, to taste. Cover tightly and set aside.

    3. Step 3

      Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons scallions and the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add pork and cook, breaking up with a fork, until no longer pink, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon chili sauce and the fish sauce, pepper, salt and sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the basil, lime zest and lime juice. Let cool 5 minutes, then add mayonnaise mixture.

    4. Step 4

      Fill bread with pork mixture. Press the jalapeño, mint and cilantro sprigs into the pork. Spoon some pickled vegetables onto the sandwiches and serve any extra alongside.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,190 user ratings
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Comments

Too bad you've never had the original. The bread for a banh mi sandwich is one of the most important elements, made with rice flour and has a fantastic crunch to fresh/soft ratio that's so important. The bread and the pickled vegetables and the mayonnaise spread are the stars, to me. I can take or leave the pork. I am just as happy with a vegetarian version.

Banh mi sloppy joes! Absolutely killer. If you make the pickles the night before (and you should, they’ll be better,) this becomes a 15 minute dump-and-stir weeknight miracle. If your ground pork looks fatty, definitely fry it off and drain it when it’s 90% cooked through. Use Thai basil if you can find it, the little leaves will wilt into the pork, no chiffonade needed. Light, chewy rolls are best. Lots of cilantro. Got any kewpie mayo? You know what to do!

I made it vegetarian: soy protein fake meat and homemade vegetarian "fish" sauce were all the changes. It was wonderful!

It’s giving Vietnamese-themed hamburger helper

A baguette was too much bread unless hollowed out. Next day tried over rice noodles and this was excellent. Used mint, cilantro, and Thai basil.

In my opinion, this is extremely salty as written. I usually cut or leave out the additional 1/2 tsp of salt in the meat seasoning. I’d recommend sampling after adding fish sauce and before adding additional salt lest it become a salt bomb. Otherwise it was delicious. Make extra pickled veggies!! I’ve made this a few times and it was also a hit served over rice.

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