Banh mi means “bread” in Vietnamese. The sandwich that in the United States we call banh mi is a Vietnamese-French fusion food popularized first in Saigon, and then in the 1980s by Vietnamese in California. Banh mi sandwiches are usually made with airy, crisp Vietnamese baguettes, which are made with both rice and wheat flour. A regular baguette will do when you can’t find the Vietnamese variety. Although most banh mi sandwiches include a filling of sliced meat or pâté, there is also banh mi chay, a vegetarian banh mi sandwich, and our inspiration.
So many luscious sandwiches comprise savory, creamy, crunchy, and tangy elements, and this sandwich meets all these criteria. The elements of almost any banh mi sandwich are a savory filling, pickled carrots and daikon (do chua), cilantro or mint, cucumbers, mayonnaise, and thinly sliced jalapeños or other hot peppers. Do chua is often only carrots and daikon, but we like to add red onions for both the color and flavor. In this recipe, we give you three filling options (good either warm or chilled): baked tofu; eggs; roasted, grilled, or pan-fried portobello or other mushrooms.
The pickled vegetables, herbed mayonnaise, and baked tofu all keep for several days, and can be made ahead of time.
Yields four 6-inch sandwiches
Serves 4
Sandwich assembly time (with all elements prepped): 10 minutes
Do Chua prep time: 15 minutes
Do Chua pickling time: at least 1 hour, up to several days
Herbed Mayo prep time: 5 minutes
Herbed Mayo chilling time (for flavor to develop): at least 30 minutes, or up to several days
Prep time for the Filling Options and the remaining ingredients: 20 to 30 minutes
1 cup carrot matchsticks
1 cup daikon matchsticks
½ cup thinly sliced red onions
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup fresh lime or lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, mint, and/or basil
Maple Baked Tofu (see here)
or
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1½ teaspoons oil
or
2 portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
Sprinkling of salt
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup shredded lettuce, or baby greens
Fresh cilantro, mint, and/or basil, whole leaves or cut into chiffonade (optional)
1 or 2 thinly sliced jalapeños or other hot peppers (optional)
4 small or two 12-inch baguettes*
*Baguettes are traditional, but you can use any crusty, porous bread, such as batard, a wide Italian loaf, focaccia, even toasted sliced bread.
Once you have all the elements of a banh mi sandwich on hand, it’s a snap to assemble. The do chua needs at least an hour of marinating time, and it keeps for 3 to 4 days. The herbed mayonnaise is fine right away, and it will keep well for about a week. If you want Maple Baked Tofu for the sandwiches, plan on getting that into the oven at least 90 minutes before you want to serve the sandwiches, but it’s good either warm or cold and it keeps for days. So you can make all of these ahead of time.
Make the do chua: Put the carrot and daikon matchsticks and the onion slices into a heatproof bowl. Bring the vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, and black pepper to a boil in a small saucepan, and then pour it over the vegetables. As the vegetables soften a bit, in just a minute or two, press them down into the brine with the back of a spoon. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Make the herbed mayonnaise: Stir the lime juice and chopped herbs into the mayonnaise, cover and refrigerate.
Prepare one or more of Maple Baked Tofu, eggs, portobellos. To make the eggs, warm the oil in a large skillet. Beat the eggs with the soy sauce and pour into the pan. Tilt the pan and lift the edges of the eggs as they cook allowing the liquid to flow into the bottom and cook until firm and beginning to brown. Transfer to a plate. Cut into 2-inch-wide strips. To cook the mushrooms, slice the portobello caps into ½-inch-wide strips. Brush the cut sides of the strips with sesame oil, sprinkle with salt, and grill, pan fry, or broil or roast in a 400°F oven.
When ready to assemble the sandwiches, prep the cucumber, lettuce, fresh herbs, and hot pepper. Slice the baguettes and toast them if you like. Generously spread herbed mayonnaise on both cut sides of the baguettes. From the bottom up, layer tofu, eggs, and/or mushrooms, do chua, cucumbers, lettuce, fresh herbs, sliced hot peppers. Press the baguette top onto the fillings.
Cut the sandwich into smaller pieces if you like.
This is a big sandwich, but you can serve it with a light soup, such as Vietnamese Lemongrass Vegetable Soup or Chilled Pineapple-Mango Soup for a more complete meal. Then, maybe a couple little Peanut-Ginger Cookies to end on a sweet note.