Since we love the banh mi, we wondered how to make the sandwich at home. What rules would we need to follow, if any even exist? And could we even recreate the flavors outside of Asia? Spoiler Alert: We can and we did.
As we learned, when it comes to making banh mi at home, there are certain elements that define the sandwich. Those elements start with a crunchy roll, followed by pickled slaw, a marinated protein perfumed in Vietnamese spices and flavors and, finally, lots of fragrant green leafy herbs. If you ever go to Vietnam, you’ll find that fresh herbs are the signature ingredient of Vietnamese dishes like in pho and rice and, in this case, sandwiches.
In this banh mi recipe, with those essentials in mind, we started building our sandwich with an earthy pâté base and, after adding pickled slaw (daikon and carrot) and grilled chicken, we artfully topped it with cucumbers and green chili peppers (both optional) as well as plenty of fresh cilantro and mint. But, first, we marinated the chicken with traditional Vietnamese ingredients like lemongrass, cilantro, garlic and fish sauce. We finished the chicken with a hoisin sauce glaze for sweetness in the last minute it was grilling in the pan.
Read on to discover the required ingredients and prep work in each stage of the banh mi build out.
1. Vietnamese Pickle (Đồ Chua)
This pickle is inspired by Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats and requires the following ingredients:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
Cut the carrots and daikon into long julienned matchsticks. Use a long sharp knife if your knife skills are good or a mandoline if you’re feeling brave. (Mandolines can be dangerous. We encourage you to use a safety glove if you choose to use that tool.) We used a multipurpose Y peeler with a special attachment to slice the daikon and we julienned the carrot by hand.
Once you slice the vegetables, mix them thoroughly with salt and sugar. Pour the marinade over the vegetables and place the entire mixture, including the liquid, into a well sealed maison jar. The mixture should optimally sit in the refrigerator for about two days. You can use any leftover slaw in a variety of applications including as a side for rice or in salad.
2. Vietnamese Chicken Marinade
Here are the marinade ingredients:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
We used a large mortar and pestle to create our Vietnamese marinade and you may want to do same. Another option is to use a food processor. For sweetness, we glazed the grilled chicken with hoisin sauce after we grilled it. We initially added the hoisin to the marinade but found that the sugary sauce burned when we heated it. Once again, we solved that problem by glazing the hoisin on the chicken before removing it from the pan.
In this recipe, you’ll marinate the chicken before its cooked. While banh mi vendors typically use a charcoal grill to cook the chicken, we used a cast iron pan to cook the chicken. If you don’t have a cast iron pan, you can alternatively use a standard stainless steel pan or even a teflon pan.
Prior to cooking the chicken, mix the marinade ingredients together, pounding or processing them to form a paste. Marinate the chicken for at least an hour or for as long as a full day.
Once you’re ready to cook the chicken, put the chicken breast, along with the marinade, into the pan and cook at medium until both sides are dark brown, not burned. Use a thermometer to ensure that the temperature reaches at least 150°f / 60°c. (While it’s recommended to cook chicken breast to 160°f / 71°c to avoide food bourne illnesses, pathogens typically die at 140°f.) If the ingredients begin to scorch, add a little water to deglaze the pan.
Brush hoisin sauce on to the browned chicken and continue to cook for two to three minutes. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and add about a quarter cup of water to deglaze the pan. Once the remaining hoisin sauce gets thick, move it to a small bowl – you’ll later pour that sauce over the chicken when you build the sandwich.
Place the maritnated and glazed cooked chicken breast on a plate and let it rest for about five minutes before slicing it. Finally, assemble all the ingredients – it’s now time to build the sandwich.
3. Building the Banh Mi Sandwich
It’s easy and fun to build a banh mi sandwich based on personal taste and and preferences. Accordingly, consider the following ingredients as a guideline and certainly not mandatory:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
You’ll want to generously top your banh mi in true Viet style with fresh herbs. While cilantro is the most common choice, you can also add fresh mint.
Pro Tip
Sub the pâté with a creamy mild cheese like Laughing Cow if you’re not a fan of pâté. The spreadable American cheese is a typical banh mi ingredient in Vietnam.
