Meaball Bánh mì

Meatball Bánh mì

Vietnamese food is one of my favorites because it blends two amazing cuisines – French and Southeast Asian.  The Bánh mì sandwich is a perfect example of this blend – you top a French baguette with any number of toppings; usually some sort of meat (pate is classic) and pickled vegetables.  The beauty of the Bánh mì is that you can put so many different combinations on it and create something unique and wonderful

This variation of a Bánh mìi uses a pork meatball and is topped with pickled carrots and daikon, and slathered with a sriracha mayonnaise.  Its creamy, spicy, slightly acidic, and has a deep umami flavor from the fish sauce – yet feels very light and fresh.

It’s traditional to serve the Bánh mì on baguettes, but we sometimes serve them on brioche hot dog buns.

Ingredients

Pickled Carrots & Daikon

  • 2 cups of grated carrots
  • 2 cups of grated daikon*
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Sriracha Mayonnaise

  • ⅔ cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp (or more) Sriracha sauce, or other hot chili sauce.

Meatballs

  • 1lb Ground Pork
  • ¼ cup Thai Basil, chopped (you can use regular basil)
  • 4 Garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 Green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Sriracha sauce
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • 2 french baguettes

For Serving:

  • 2 large Baguettes or 4 small.  Or, these can be served on Brioche buns.
  • Cilantro (optional)
  • Sliced Jalapenos (optional)

Directions

Pickled Carrots

  1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Allow to sit for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.
  3. This will keep in the fridge for up to a week.  Keep in mind, it smells quite pungent.

Sriracha Mayonnaise

  1. Mix ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. Taste for seasoning, add more sriracha if desired.

Meatballs

  1. Mix all ingredients except oils in a large bowl until well combined.
  2. Form into small meatballs, a little smaller than golf ball (about 2 Tbsps each)
  3. Fry meatballs in a pan with the sesame and vegetable oil over medium heat until cooked through.

Assembly

  1. Slice open the baguettes.
  2. Slather with the spicy mayonnaise.
  3. Add meatballs and pickled carrots.
  4. Top with cilantro and jalapenos, if desired.

*A Daikon is a mild Asian radish. You can find them at most well-stocked grocery stores. If you can’t find Daikon, you can use a standard American radish, or simply use more carrot.

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