Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich With Grilled Beef

Submitted by PanNan

"The Vietnamese sandwich is a wonderful combination of flavors and textures. This version is made with very thinly sliced grilled beef with a charred and carmelized meat flavor, a layer of crunchy sweet and sour pickled carrots and daikon (recipe posted separately), a layer of soft and sweet shallots and fresh and crispy lettuce and cilantro. The recipe is from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by Jaden Hair. Tip: slice the beef very thinly before the meat has completely thawed, or ask the butcher to slice it thinly when you purchase it. If you have a package of the thinly sliced beef for cheese steaks, that will work too (as long as it isn't pre-seasoned)."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil (more may be needed)
• 1 lb sirloin, sliced very thin (rib eye, strip steak, or pre-sliced beef for cheese steaks may be used instead)
• 5 shallots, thinly sliced (you may substitute an onion if you don't have shallots)
• 4 French baguettes (sandwich size - 8 inches each)
• 8 lettuce leaves, large leafy type
• 1 cup carrot, daikon pickle recipe
• 4 sprigs cilantro

directions

1. Whisk together the garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, and 1 tbsp peanut oil in a large bowl. Add the sliced beef and mix well to coat each slice. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator).
2. Heat a grill pan (or electric grill appliance) until it is hot. Brush 1 tbsp oil on the pan. Add the beef slices in batches, laying them flat in a single layer, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Grill for 30 seconds to 1 minute and flip each slice, repeating on the other side (unless you are using the double sided grill appliance, and then you would not flip and repeat). Remove the beef slices when they are just slightly charred, but not overcooked. Drain off and reserve the juices. Repeat, brushing grill pan with additional oil when necessary, until all the beef slices are grilled.
3. When the beef is grilled, brush the pan with more oil and add the shallots (or onions). Grill them until just softened. Reserve any remaining juices along with the carmelized bits.
4. Assemble the sandwiches by slicing the French baguettes in half lengthwise, brushing each half with some of the pan juices; add 2 lettuce leaves, 1/4 of the grilled beef, 1/4 cup of the carrot daikon pickle, grilled shallots and a sprig of fresh cilantro.

Reviews

[gailanng]

Did you say something about Vietnamese Banh Mi? Oh, my heart beat still. As long as it's beating, I won't need a doctor...right? Incredibly good!

 

[Mia in Germany]

This was utterly delicious! For the carrots, I made your recipe #425887, and it really was something very special with this sandwich. DH particularly liked that the bread was brushed with the pan juices. As I used gluten free store bought baguette rolls, I had to transform this into open faced sandwiches - the baguette rolls were too small LOL But that didn't affect the fabulous taste at all. Thanks for sharing!<br/>Made for ZWT 9 / SE Asia for The Apron String Travelers

 

[ElizabethKnicely]

We really loved this sandwich. It was so full of flavor and was a nice change from the normal sub. We love Vietnamese food and I could see myself making this sandwich often for lunch. I served it alongside your recipe for Recipe #425887 and thought that the "pickles" really addedd something special to this meal. Even my picky 8 year old loved this one. Thanks for the great recipes PanNan. Made for team Tasty Testers for the Asian round of ZWT9.

 

[Ma Field]

We love, love, LOVED this sandwich. So fresh and tasty. If this is Vietnamese street food, I want to go to the Vietnamese streets every day for lunch! Made for ZWT6 by a Looney Spooner and we will be having it again soon!