Char Siu Banh Mi Recipe

A simple and easy recipe for Char Siu Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich.

Tan Bui|October 31

Inspired by my love for this classic Vietnamese dish and my stomach grumbling, I’ve set out to try Andrea Nguyen’s recipe for Char Siu Banh Mi and have listed it below with some changes suited to my own tastes. For the meat, you can use any kind of meat but from my own experience with trying out both pork and chicken, pork was easily my favorite.

Servings: 4 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients


Pickled Vegetable:

  • 1 daikon radish
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, plus ½ cup
  • 1 ¼ cups | 296 ml vinegar

Char Siu Meat:

  • 2 pounds | 900 grams boneless, chicken thighs or thinly sliced pork chops
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Bread:

  • Small French baguette
  • Hand-span section of French baguette
  • Any light, airy bread

Fat (choose one):

  • Mayonnaise (regular or flavored)
  • Salted European-style butter

Seasoning (choose one or more):

  • Bragg liquid aminos
  • Maggi seasoning sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • Fine sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For the sandwich:

  • 3 or 4 thin slices medium-hot chile, such as jalapeño or Fresno
  • 4 to 6 cucumber strips, rounds, or ovals, a scant ¼-inch thick
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped or hand-torn cilantro sprigs, mint leaves, or basil leaves

Directions

  1. Make the Viet pickle:
    1. Peel and cut the daikon into sticks about 3 inches long and ¼-inch thick.
    2. Peel and cut the carrot into sticks slightly thinner than the daikon.
    3. Put vegetables in a bowl, toss with salt and 2 teaspoons sugar. Massage for 3 minutes or set aside for 20 minutes.
    4. Rinse vegetables, drain, and transfer to a 4-cup jar.
    5. Mix ½ cup sugar, vinegar, and 1 cup water until dissolved. Pour over vegetables and let sit for 1 hour.
  2. Prepare the char siu chicken:
    1. Pat chicken thighs dry and trim excess fat. Butterfly if needed.
    2. Mix garlic, five-spice, honey, hoisin, soy sauce, ketchup, and sesame oil in a bowl.
    3. Reserve 3 tablespoons for glazing. Marinate chicken for 30 minutes to 24 hours.
    4. Cook chicken in an oiled grill pan for 6-10 minutes, turning frequently and basting with reserved marinade.
    5. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
  3. Make the sandwich:
    1. If bread is soft, moisten crust and crisp in a 350°F oven for 7 minutes.
    2. Slit bread open horizontally and hollow out some inside.
    3. Spread chosen fat on bread. Layer chicken, vegetables, and pickles. Season as desired.
    4. Close sandwich and cut crosswise or leave whole to eat.