The dish to eat in Ho Chi Minh City · Vietnam

Bánh mì

Name: Saigon bánh mì with pork, pâté and quick pickles
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: For the pickles: 1 medium carrot and 8 oz (225 g) daikon, cut into matchsticks; 1/2 cup (120 ml) rice vinegar, 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt; For the pork: 1 lb (450 g) pork shoulder or tenderloin, sliced 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick; 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 garlic cloves and 1 shallot minced, 1 stalk lemongrass minced, 1 tbsp neutral oil, 1/2 tsp black pepper; 4 Vietnamese bánh mì rolls or 2 light baguettes cut in half; 1/2 cup (120 g) chicken liver pâté; 4 tbsp mayonnaise (Kewpie, or homemade); Maggi seasoning, a few dashes; 1/2 English cucumber, cut into long spears; 1 bunch cilantro sprigs; 2 jalapeños or bird's-eye chilies, thinly sliced; 4 oz (115 g) sliced Vietnamese cold cuts (chả lụa), optional

Photo: Andy Li, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

A light, crackly baguette filled with pâté, cold cuts, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro and chili.

Saigon took the French baguette and made it its own: airy enough to shatter, stuffed with pâté and pickles, and sold on every corner for a dollar or two.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Ho Chi Minh City

Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa
Lê Thị Riêng, District 1
Order: The bánh mì đặc biệt, packed with cold cuts and pâté
The overstuffed, famous one; worth the queue at least once.
Open in Maps
Bánh Mì Hòa Mã
Cao Thắng, District 3
Order: Bánh mì chảo, eggs and pâté in a hot skillet with bread
Open since 1958, the city's classic sit-down bánh mì breakfast.
Open in Maps
Bánh Mì Bảy Hổ
Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt, District 5
Order: The xíu mại (meatball) bánh mì
A Chinatown stall known for its meatball sandwich in tomato sauce.
Open in Maps

All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best bánh mì in Ho Chi Minh City, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Saigon bánh mì with pork, pâté and quick pickles

Serves 4Time 1 hr, plus 2 hr marinating

The bread matters most: it should be light with a thin, crackly crust. Vietnamese bakeries sell the right rolls; a light French baguette, warmed until crisp, is the next best thing.

Pans and tools

Grill pan or skillet
Jar or bowl for pickles
Oven
Serrated knife

You’ll need

For the pickles: 1 medium carrot and 8 oz (225 g) daikon, cut into matchsticks; 1/2 cup (120 ml) rice vinegar, 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
For the pork: 1 lb (450 g) pork shoulder or tenderloin, sliced 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 garlic cloves and 1 shallot minced, 1 stalk lemongrass minced, 1 tbsp neutral oil, 1/2 tsp black pepper
4 Vietnamese bánh mì rolls or 2 light baguettes cut in half
1/2 cup (120 g) chicken liver pâté
4 tbsp mayonnaise (Kewpie, or homemade)
Maggi seasoning, a few dashes
1/2 English cucumber, cut into long spears
1 bunch cilantro sprigs
2 jalapeños or bird's-eye chilies, thinly sliced
4 oz (115 g) sliced Vietnamese cold cuts (chả lụa), optional

Steps

Make the pickles: dissolve the sugar and salt in the warm water and vinegar. Add the carrot and daikon and press under the liquid. Leave at least 1 hour (or up to a week in the fridge).
Mix the fish sauce, sugar, garlic, shallot, lemongrass, oil and pepper. Toss with the pork and marinate 2 hours, or overnight.
Heat a grill pan or skillet over high heat. Cook the pork in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until caramelized at the edges and cooked through. Rest a few minutes, then slice into strips.
Heat the oven to 400F (200C). Warm the rolls 4 to 5 minutes until the crust crackles when squeezed.
Split each roll lengthwise without cutting through. Pull out a little of the soft crumb to make room.
Spread one side thickly with pâté and the other with mayonnaise. Shake a few drops of Maggi over the mayo.
Fill with cold cuts if using, then the pork, cucumber spears, a generous fistful of drained pickles, cilantro and chili. Close firmly and eat right away, while the bread is still crisp.

Chef’s tips

Squeeze the pickles a bit before filling so they don't make the bread soggy.

Any good chicken liver pâté works; the Vietnamese kind is milder and spreadable.

The pickles keep two weeks in the fridge and are great on everything.

Contains: Wheat, egg, fish, soy.

Save to my recipes