Street food culture is among the top reasons why tourists all over the world are drawn to visiting VietNam. Its variety in taste and ridiculously cheap price are what have amazed tourists worldwide. You can visit all the street vendors in Viet Nam, and I can guarantee that almost every visit will be a brand new experience. But even among those seemingly endless choices of tastes, there is still one that stands out the most: The Vietnamese Banh Mi. In this article, you’ll learn what Banh Mi is and how to make the best Vietnamese Banh Mi.
1. What is the Vietnamese Banh Mi?
Vietnamese Banh Mi can be considered a kind of sandwich since the main idea is to put as much filling as possible into one single bread. But apart from that somewhat similar structure, nothing else from your ordinary sandwich can come close to an authentic Vietnamese Banh Mi. Being crispy on the outside and goodly soft on the inside is how you can describe a good old fashion Banh Mi.
Though eating that alone can get your stomach full, what takes Banh Mi to another level is the numerous choices of filling you can add to your liking: from traditional fillings such as pâté, mayo, ham, pork loaf or pickled vegetables to more original flavors of pork meatballs or grilled pork.
2. The simplest recipe to make a Banh Mi
And now is the time for the most important part: The recipe. Though from province to province, the taste of Banh Mi may vary depending on the unique culinary culture of each part of Vietnam and the personal skill of each vendor, the basic ingredients still share some resemblance:
- Fresh baked crusty bread: You can choose to use either wheat or rice flour based on what you have or a mix of both.
- Main filling: ou can say this is the soul of the Banh Mi. There are so many options for you to opt for such as pork loaf, grilled meat, eggs, etc.
- Vegetables: While listing all the available vegetables is impossible, there are two main categories: fresh vegetables like cucumber slices, cilantro, chili, or pickled vegetables, which are usually kept in a jar of boiled white vinegar, sugar, and salt.
- Spread: You spread these things evenly on the inner surface of the Banh Mi to create a layer of flavor. They can be mayonnaise, margarine or pâté, etc.
- Condiments: These are the things that add the final touch to our Banh Mi. Without some drops of soy, fish, or chili sauce, our Vietnamese Banh Mi recipe can never reach its full potential.
Now that we have all the needed ingredients. Let’s make our own Vietnamese Banh Mi with a step-by-step guide so simple that it would bake your mind:
- Make sure that the bread is ready, you would want it to be freshly baked for optimal results.
- Cut the bread in half, but do so that the two halves are still intact, not literally cut the bread into 2 pieces.
- Open the inside and apply the spreads evenly across the inner surface
- Next, apply the pâté in the same manner. Or you can use some alternatives such as smashed avocado to your liking)
- After we have laid out the foundation, we then put the main fillings into the bread, often in slices, shreds, or chunks.
- And then we cover them using our vegetables, both fresh and pickled
- In the end, we sprinkle the condiments of our choice to complete the long-awaited Vietnamese Banh Mi.
3. Different filling options in a Vietnamese Banh Mi
As mentioned above, the taste of Vietnamese Banh Mi varied from town to town, from vendor to vendor. And since each of us has our own cup of tea, it is impractical to pick out the best filling of Banh Mi. So instead of that, in this part, we will cover some of the more popular Banh Mi among certain groups of people.
3.1. Vietnamese pork meatballs Banh Mi (Bánh mì xá xíu)
The first one would be Banh Mi Xa Xiu (pork meatballs). This is one of the most popular kinds of Banh Mi in VietNam. You can easily find it in any vendor on any street. The meatballs are poached in a special broth unique to Vietnamese cuisine rather than being pan-fried like in many other countries in the world. And for that, these are one of the softest meatballs you can find on the planet.
3.2. Vietnamese chicken Banh Mi (Bánh mì gà)
This Banh Mi is also popular due to its simplicity in terms of filling. Everybody loves chicken, that’s a fact. And what would be more wonderful if two of the things you like most were combined into one? The chicken poultry used as fillings is often shredded into small pieces. That means one rotisserie chicken can fill up to 15 Banh Mi!
3.3. The vegan Vietnamese sandwich (Bánh mì chay)
The name itself indicates the purpose of this Vietnamese Banh Mi recipe. Those who believe in veganism or avoid eating too much meat often choose this as their alternative to true good taste. The fillings can be solid or shredded tofu, vegan protein substitute meat, or cauliflower and beetroot. This kind of Banh Mi really tastes very good. Its flavor is not far from perfect when compared to non-vegan versions.
Vietnamese Banh Mi can be considered the symbol of street food culture in VietNam. They are cheap, widely accessible, and consumed by pretty much everyone in this country. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a regular worker, a businessman, or a foreign tourist going on an adventure to seek out an exotic experience, Banh Mi would still be the number one go-to option when it comes to breakfast, lunch, or even dinner!
>> Read more: Top 10 Popular Vietnamese Street Foods You Must Try
