How to make your own bánh mì, Vietnam's legendary cold cut sandwich

The Vietnamese term bánh mì means bread, but you might have heard it used to refer to the legendary stuffed baguette that has been a staple of local Vietnamese cuisine since its introduction by French colonialists in the 19th century.

Traditionally, bánh mì is filled with all kinds of savoury ingredients, ranging from cha lua - Vietnamese pork sausages - and pickled vegetables to French staples such as pork cold cuts, pâté and mayonnaise. Coriander, mint and the specially seasoned meat give it that extra zing.

But really, the sky is the limit when making bánh mì. The star of the following recipe, inspired by the bánh mì served on the streets of Hanoi, are flavourful, slightly sweet bun cha meatballs typically grilled on charcoal. The minced meat gets its special taste from finely diced pork belly, fish sauce, lime juice, onions and garlic, while brown sugar adds a taste of caramel.

Ingredients (serves four):

1 shallot

1 small clove of garlic

1 stalk of lemongrass

3 limes

1 slice of pork belly

1 egg

400 g minced meat (pork)

4 tbsp breadcrumbs

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

salt

pepper

1 carrot (approx. 80 g)

1 radish (approx. 80 g)

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 small spicy cucumber

15 g coriander (fresh)

5 g mint (fresh)

2 tbsp sunflower oil

4 slices of pork cold cut

120 g pork pâté

4 tbsp mayonnaise

2 baguettes

Preparation:

1. For the meatballs, peel and finely dice the shallot and garlic. Cut the woody ends and the outer leaves off the lemongrass and chop finely. Rinse the limes in hot water and dry. Grate the zest of one lime and squeeze out the juice. Set the remaining limes aside. Remove any pork rind and bones from the meat and chop until it resembles minced meat.

2. Crack the egg into a large bowl and whisk lightly. Add the minced meat, pork belly, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, breadcrumbs and season with brown sugar, lime zest, half the lime juice, fish sauce, salt and pepper. Knead until all the ingredients are well combined. Cover and leave to rest in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes.

3. To prepare the vegetables, peel the carrot and radish and cut into very fine strips. Mix with about 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Rub the salt into the vegetables for about five minutes to soften them.

Leave to infuse for approximately 30 minutes. Then remove any excess water. If the vegetables are too salty, rinse briefly and drain well. Mix the carrots and radish with the remaining lime juice and 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar and leave to infuse for approximately 1 hour (preferably overnight).

4. Wash and dry the cucumber and cut off the ends. Cut the cucumber in half crosswise and then cut lengthways into wafer-thin strips. Wash the herbs, shake dry and pluck the leaves from the stalks.

5. Take the meat out of the fridge and shape into approximately 12 equally sized, oval, fairly flat meatballs.

6. Brush a grill pan with a little oil. Briefly fry the slices of cold cut on both sides over a medium heat until slightly crispy and brown. If necessary, add a little more oil before frying the meatballs until they are crispy brown and well done.

7. To serve the bánh mì, cut the baguettes in half crosswise and then cut into them again lengthwise to create pockets. Spread a little pork pâté on one half and mayonnaise on the other. Spread the sliced cucumber across the bottom before adding some pickled vegetables, a few coriander leaves, some mint and the meatballs.

8. Cut the remaining limes into quarters and serve with the bánh mì.