ramyaramesh3007The secrets to the most flavourful Banh Mi are a flavourful paté, succulent vegan meatball filling, pickled vegetables and fresh herbs – learn how to make them here!
What is Banh Mi?
Banh Mi is also known as a Vietnamese Baguette made with traditional ingredients used in Vietnamese cuisine. They are a street food, said to originate in Saigon. They are often served with French baguettes, that are on the softer side compared to traditional ones. Typically, they contain pickled carrots, white radish (daikon), chilies, coriander, mayo, sauce and a protein, like chicken, pork, beef or paté. But obviously we want to make this without any cruelty involved, so I made lemongrass tofu meatballs!
The easiest part of making this Banh Mi Sandwich is the filling – the vegetables doesn’t require much precision as you can see in my recipe below. They are also completely plant-based making this sub 100% vegan and healthy.
The best Banh Mi I have tasted so far is the Saigon Delight from The Kind Bowl, a fully vegan Vietnamese Restaurant in Singapore. The flavours in this Banh Mi are heavily inspired by this and can be made in the comfort of your home to satisfy your cravings.
What Do I Need to Make This?
There are 5 components to this dish: let’s break it down.
First, obviously you would need a soft French baguette. You can use a regular french baguette for this if you can’t find a Vietnamese baguette. I had trouble finding a vegan Vietnamese Baguette but after stumbling upon a few places, I managed to find them at a local banh mi store. It’s also not the most traditional version so I’m taking this as a sign that I should learn how to make my own bread. Haha.
Then you would need all the ingredients to make a good vegan paté – vegan of course! I made mine with:
- white button mushrooms
- chives
- walnuts
- seasonings
- vegan fish sauce
- soy sauce
After which comes your pickled vegetables – these are super important to make your sub taste like Banh Mi. I used carrots and white radish submerged in the vinegar solution for a day. Make sure you eat them within 4-7 days to retain the crunchiness of the vegetables.
For protein, I made a lemongrass tofu meatballs with tofu, lemongrass, spring onions, sauces and corn starch. Tofu is perfect for replicating the textures and flavours of meats like chicken and pork – it’s all in the herbs, spices and seasonings! For the tofu meatballs, we’ll be using aromatics like garlic, spring onions and lemongrass to create the perfect juicy meatball. You can also add some chopped chilies for a touch of heat. For fuss free frying, you can bake or air fry them. Pan frying is great too but it just takes longer and your attention while it cooks.
Fresh herbs are a must for Banh Mi: specifically coriander (or cilantro, they’re the same) and red chillies. If you can’t take spice, feel free to leave the chillies out.
Optionally, you can also add some vegan mayo and sriracha for a sauce boost – because why not?!
What’s more, with this recipe you can make around 4 sandwiches that you can either meal prep or make for your family. People around you can taste the goodness of this!
Ingredients You Need
- air fryer meatballs
- extra firm tofu – pressed and drained.
- vegan fish sauce – you can substitute with soy sauce / tamari / coconut aminos
- agave syrup – for sweetener, you can also use maple
- aromatics – spring onions, garlic, lemongrass
- mushroom pate
- button mushrooms
- walnuts
- spring onions
- vegan fish sauce
- light soy sauce
- agave
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- black pepper
- bread
- soft french baguette – I’ve also tried using sourdough and it’s delicious!
- toppings
- sriracha
- vegan
- pickled carrots & radish
- coriander, red chilies
Gluten free substitutions: Use gluten free vegan fish sauce or soy sauce.
Lemongrass ‘Pork’ Meatball Banh Mi
Ingredients
Air Fryer Meatballs
- 450 g extra firm tofu
- 1.5 tbsp vegan fish sauce
- 2 tsp agave syrup
- 1/3 cup spring onions
- 1.5 tsp minced garlic
- 2 stalks lemongrass purple part only
- pinch white pepper
- salt
- 3.5 tbsp corn starch
- olive oil for airfrying
Meatball Glaze
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce
- 1/2 tbsp agave syrup
- 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- corn starch slurry (1 tbsp corn starch + 1/2 cup water)
Pickled Vegetables
- 1 medium carrot
- 1/2 radish
- 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 3 cups water
- 3 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tbsp salt
Mushroom Pate
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 400 g white button mushrooms
- 1/2 cup spring onions chopped
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
- 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp agave
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- salt
Banh Mi
- 4 vietnamese baguettes
- sriracha
- vegan mayo
- coriander
- sliced red chillies
Instructions
- Peel carrot and radish. Cut them into thin strips or matchsticks.
- In a small saucepan, combine rice vinegar, water, agave, and salt. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the agave and salt are completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Once the brine has cooled, place the julienned carrots and radishes into a clean jar or container. You can layer them, pressing them down a little to fit.
- Carefully pour the cooled brine over the vegetables in the jar, making sure they’re fully submerged. You may want to gently press the vegetables down with a spoon or the back of a chopstick to make sure they're all covered.
- Seal the jar and refrigerate the pickled vegetables for at least 1-2 hours before using. For the best flavor, let them sit overnight, though they’re usually great within a few hours. The longer they sit, the more flavorful they’ll become. You can keep them in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks.
- Boil your extra firm tofu for 5 minutes and pat dry. Crumble into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients – minced garlic, chopped spring onions and finely chopped lemongrass, agave, vegan fish sauce, white pepper, salt and corn starch.
- Shape them into balls. Air fry at 190C for 15-20 minutes, flipping them halfway. Different air fryers may require slightly longer cooking times.
- Make your mushroom pate. To a pan, add olive oil and add mushrooms. Wait until they are cooked and release water. Let 1/2 of the water evaporate.
- Add your chives, chopped walnuts, followed by your seasonings. Mix them all together in the heat until they are well combined without much water in the mixture.
- Add these to your food processor and blend until it becomes a smooth paste.
- Make your meatball glaze by heating the ingredients over a pan until the sauce thickens – coat the meatballs in the sauce.
- Slice the baguette into half. Layer with 2 spoonfuls of pate, vegan mayo and sriracha. Top with lemongrass meatballs, pickled veggies, coriander and red chilies. Serve!