June 6, 2020
Several years ago, Kevin and I took a short trip to Da Nang, Vietnam in between our trip to visit his family in Hong Kong. Kevin’s stepmom organized the trip to Da Nang and arranged for us to stay at a villa throughout the trip. During the night, we would hang around the villa and enjoy the beautiful ocean views. When the sun rose, we would venture out to the local streets. My favorite part of the trip was going on a food tour with a local guide and experiencing the dynamic food scene in the heart Da Nang. Our tour guide grew up in Da Nang, and had a passion for sharing her favorite foods with visitors. We got to enjoy a little bit of everything from beef stew to bánh mì. Every dish we ate weaved in tons of fresh herbs, bright flavors, and intense aromatics. Some were familiar flavors and aromas and some were not. Of everything we ate on the trip, bánh mì was my favorite. The bánh mì we ate featured grilled pork, fresh herbs, and pickled veggies served on top of a crispy, toasted baguette. I loved the simplicity of the bánh mì paired with an intensely aromatic cà phê. I’ve eaten bánh mì before, but enjoying a bánh mì in Da Nang squeezed among locals was another experience. With all of the eating we did, we needed to work in some exercise. We strolled through the busy streets filled with locals and tourists. When we came across a rickshaw, we just had to hop on and snap a photo. Even looking back at the photos from several years ago, I can still remember all of the intense flavors and aromas in every dish we ate.
Here’s a photo from our trip almost six years ago:
Reminiscing on the trip Kevin and I took to Vietnam several years ago spurred my cravings for bánh mì. I recreated the experience with some pickled carrots, fresh herbs, and my favorite Asian meatballs. My version of Asian meatballs features a lot of the same ingredients I use when making my crispy Asian fishcakes. I began by prepping the pickled carrots and daikon, followed by preparing the Asian meatballs, and finally arranging the rest of the fresh veggies onto the toasted baguette. To bring everything together, I prepared a side of shrimp summer rolls, a simple peanut sauce, and some minty peach green tea. The meal came together rather quickly. As we were enjoying the meal, we couldn’t help but to reminisce on some of our travels from the past years. We hope to be able to visit Vietnam again in the near future.
For the Asian meatball bánh mì:
For the pickled carrots and daikon:
· 1-2 carrots, peeled and julienned
· ½ of a daikon, peeled and julienned
· 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
· ½ cup water
For the Asian meatballs: (makes about 12 meatballs)
· ½-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated
· 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
· 2 stalks of scallions, thinly sliced
· 6 sprigs cilantro, stems removed and chopped
· ¼ red onion, finely diced
· 2 teaspoons soy sauce
· 2 teaspoons fish sauce
· ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
· ½ lime, zested and juiced
· ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
· ½ pound ground pork
· 1 large egg
· 2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
· vegetable oil, for frying
For the rest of the bánh mì:
· 1 tablespoon of mayo
· 1 baguette, sliced down the center and toasted
· ¼ of a cucumber sliced into 8 thin slices
· 2 sprigs fresh mint, stems removed
· 6 sprigs cilantro
· hoisin sauce, for serving (optional)
· sriracha, for serving (optional)
Directions:
1) Prepare the pickled carrots and daikon by combining the julienned carrots, julienned daikon, sugar, kosher salt, rice wine vinegar, and water in a bowl. Toss all ingredients until well mixed. Chill for at least an hour before serving. If possible, chill overnight.
2) To make the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, diced onion, soy sauce, fish sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, lime zest, and lime juice. Toss in the panko bread crumbs, ground pork, large egg, and confectioners’ sugar. Use your hands to mix together all of the ingredients until well blended. Form meatballs with your hands.
3) Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil into the skillet. Once the skillet is hot, add the meatballs. Fry for about 10 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes. Remove the meatballs to a serving plate.
4) Assemble the bánh mì by spreading some mayo on both sides of the sliced baguette. Add four slices of cucumber on each side of the baguette. Top with the pickled carrots and daikon. Add the meatballs. Top with mint and cilantro. Drizzle on the hoisin sauce and sriracha sauce, if desired.
For the summer rolls with peanut sauce:
Follow my recipe for shrimp summer rolls and peanut sauce. Feel free to substitute the rolls with any fresh veggies and protein you like.
For the minty peach green tea:
Brew some green tea. Sweeten with sugar or honey. Add in fresh mint and freshly sliced peaches.
Takeaways: My marinated grilled chicken is a great alternative for filling a bánh mì. Grilled beef, pork, and tofu also work well in the bánh mì. The same goes for summer rolls. They can be filled with any protein and veggies of your choice.