Banh mi sandwich

We’ve been making banh mi sandwiches for a while now, and have eventually settled on a house version. It calls for little meatballs instead of grilled meat, doesn’t include paté, and features cabbage in the pickle instead of the usual daikon radish – works for us!

Banh mi sandwich
(serves 4 to 6)

Meatballs

• 500g ground pork
• 1 egg
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 Tb fish sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 small courgette, grated
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 3 Tb fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped (or to taste)
• 1 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper
• vegetable oil for frying

Carrot cabbage pickle

• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 Tb rice vinegar
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1/4 of a small cabbage, shredded (there should be roughly equal amounts of carrot and cabbage)

To serve

• 2 baguettes, cut into six-inch lengths
• 1 English cucumber, sliced thinly
• a bunch of coriander, chopped
• Sriracha sauce
• mayonnaise
• soy sauce

1. Combine all the meatball ingredients (except the oil) in a large bowl, and mix well to combine. Shape the mixture into small balls and arrange on a baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, sugar and rice vinegar until combined. Pour over the carrots and cabbage and leave to marinate. (This pickle keeps really nicely in the fridge, and is also nice added to a ham sandwich or served alongside other Asian dishes.
3. In a large frying pan, heat a thin layer of vegetable oil over medium-high. When it’s hot, add the meatballs and fry, turning occasionally, until cooked through.
4. Bring all the banh mi elements to the table and let people assemble their own.

Tags: Asian food, baguette, cabbage, carrots, dairy-free, meatballs