This meatball banh mi with pickled carrot and daikon, Sriracha mayo, cilantro, and jalapeno, is the most surprisingly delicious thing I’ve made in a while. If you’re not already familiar, banh mi are a kind of Vietnamese sandwich, usually made with a soft Vietnamese baguette, raw veggies, and some kind of protein––often grilled pork or a pork cutlet.
This banh mi recipe is made with juicy homemade pork meatballs, seasoned with garlic, herbs, Sriracha, and fish sauce. AMAZING.
For me, what makes this sandwich great, and banh mi great in general…is the mixture of the bright, crisp textures and flavors of the vegetables, and the richness of the meat (the healthy slathering of spicy mayo doesn’t hurt either). It’s picnic blanket food, for picnic blanket weather. So put these together, grab three other lucky sandwich recipients, and prepare for awesomeness.
Okay, on with the recipe. It was adapted from this recipe on Epicurious.
Here are your ingredients. It may seem like a lot, but most of them are kitchen staples, and this banh mi recipe is super easy to assemble.
Spicy Meatball Banh Mi: Recipe Instructions
Start by preparing the carrot and daikon radish. Add the julienned carrots and daikon to a large bowl and toss in the sugar, salt, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil.
Set aside for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. I actually got through all the chopping before realizing that this would have been the perfect time to use the julienne peeler we made these veggie noodles with a few weeks ago. Alas!
In any case, I highly recommend using that peeler or even a mandoline slicer for this, if you have one.
While that salad is picking, thoroughly combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl—the ground pork, cilantro (or basil or parsley), scallion, garlic, fish sauce, Sriracha, sugar, salt, pepper, and cornstarch.
Hand-mushing is definitely the best method to employ here.
Form the mixture into meatballs (you should get about 20 out of the deal), place them on a parchment lined baking sheet, and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes.
After the meatballs have been chilled, heat a tablespoon of oil in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Fry the meatballs until browned on all sides and cooked through.
Ka-POW.
In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha. This stuff takes this sandwich’s awesomeness to a whole different level.
Open up each piece of bread, and spread the Sriracha mayonnaise on each side. Fill with the pickled carrots and daikon, cooked meatballs, jalapenos, and cilantro. Serve!
This banh mi recipe is an awesome one but check out a few of our other sandwiches like our authentic Cuban Sandwich and the Morning Glory breakfast sandwich.
Meatball Banh Mi
Ingredients
Carrot Daikon Salad:
- 2 medium carrots (julienned)
- 1 cup daikon radish (julienned)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground pork (450g)
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or basil
- 1 scallion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
To assemble the sandwiches:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha
- 1 baguette (cut into 4 equal pieces and lightly toasted)
- 1 jalapeno (seeded and thinly sliced)
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Start by preparing the carrot and daikon. Add the julienned carrots and daikon to a large bowl and toss in the sugar, salt, vinegar and sesame oil. Set aside for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- While that’s going, thoroughly combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl, and form into meatballs (you should get about 20). Place the meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet, and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes. After the meatballs have been chilled, heat a tablespoon of oil in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Fry the meatballs until browned on all sides and cooked through.
- In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha. Open up each piece of bread, and spread the Sriracha mayonnaise on each side. Fill with the pickled carrots and daikon, cooked meatballs, jalapenos, and cilantro. Serve!
nutrition facts
Thoughts on making these as tacos? Cooking the pork on stove top like regular taco meat? I think all ingredients would work perfectly except I would top the cilantro at the end?
That could be good, Tracy!
Delicious, just hot enough (Used a little less sriracha for the first time but will use the full amount next time). I have to specify that I used ground chicken and serve them on a bowl of noodles with the marinated veggies and a bunch of others raw and/or blanched but it was just great. Thanks for the recipe, easy to make and satisfying.
You’re welcome, Madeleine!
I made them into patties without the siracha and they we still good!
Awesome, Lilian!
THE BEST!!!! I love making this. I don’t think I’ve posted here before. I VEGANIZE them by using 1 16 oz package of Beyond Beef and one 12 oz package of Impossible burger. I use 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of kelp powder instead of fish sauce. I double everything else. I sometime use white rice flour in place of corn starch and sometimes I use mint if I don’t have enough cilantro.
Thank you for sharing that, Tascha! I’m sure other readers will find those tips for veganizing this recipe super helpful. :)
These came out amazing! I made them into patties instead of meatballs so they’re fit in a traditional sliced bread sandwich more conveniently and the flavour was fantastic.
Yay! So happy to hear that. :)
Just made these tonight and it’s SOOOO good!! Legit eating as I type lol! I baked the meatballs but tbey are so moist and the heat is just right. Hubby approved and adding to our rotation.
Hahaha thank you so much for the feedback, Taylor! I always feel that if readers feel compelled to comment as they’re eating, it must have been REALLY good! :)
I CANT WAIT to try this recipe!! Any tips for sourcing the baguettes? I would think the french baguettes you get in supermarkets are too chewy?
Hi Joey, I think you’re right that regular supermarket baguettes can be a bit too dense for Banh Mi. I would try a ciabatta bread actually. You can cut the ciabatta in half lengthwise and then cut in half, leaving the edges intact so it’s almost like a long split roll. Ciabatta is a good deal airier while still having a nice chew.
Absolutely my favorite sandwich and recipe so dar!
Wow, thank you!
Delicious! I used half the sugar for the veggies and none in the meat. Baked the meatballs rather than fried (didn’t need the freezer as the defrosted meat was still plenty cold). YUM!!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed these, Judith!
I was going to make these for a party And serve as Banh mi brioche sliders. Is it possible to cook then freeze the meatballs or freeze them raw and cook day of. I think they would be a huge hit! Thanks love, love this site!!
Yes, you can freeze them after they’ve been cooked, and then and reheat in a pan! Adding a little water to the pan and covering it to steam them will heat them through nicely. You could also reheat them in an oven!