I’m not sure if it is totally obvious, but my family loves sandwiches. Any and all of them. This caramelized pork belly bánh mì is unlike any other sandwich though. The bánh mì is a Vietnamese sandwich the combines French baguette and pâté with Vietnamese style meat (typically pork) and pickled vegetables.
I sometimes make this sandwich using pork tenderloin for a healthier version. Today though I used pork belly. The combination of the rich fatty pork with sweet sauce and tangy pickled vegetables is divine. The pork belly is cooked in a sauce of soy, mirin, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions, and sugar.
I used my sous vide machine to cook the pork belly because it gets absolutely tender that way. A lot of the fat renders out and the resulting meat is then glazed and broiled with the reduced cooking liquid. You end up with tender, savory sweet, crispy glazed pork belly. If you don’t have a sous vide setup, you can just simmer the pork belly in the sauce for about 45 minutes or until very tender, then follow the same steps to reduce the sauce and glaze and broil it.
I use my deli rolls (recipe here) instead of baguette usually for the caramelized pork belly bánh mì. At some point I will share a great baguette recipe with you, but it is a bit more time consuming and I don’t always have time to make them.
I made some quick pickled daikon and carrots for topping the sandwich, along with pickled jalapenos, cilantro, and thin sliced cucumber. This sandwich is so fresh and flavorful, and I highly recommend it.
This is my favorite fish sauce, and the mirin (sweet rice wine) I use for this recipe.
Caramelized Pork Belly Bánh Mì
Ingredients
For the Pork Belly:
- 2 lbs pork belly thick sliced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 scallions rough chopped
- 3 cloves garlic rough chopped
- 3 inch chunk fresh ginger rough chopped
For the Quick Pickled Carrots and Daikon:
- 2 large carrots julienned
- 5 inch piece of daikon julienned
- 1/4 cup vinager
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Sandwiches:
- 6 deli rolls or pieces of baguette
- mayo
- pate
- pickled carrot and daikon
- cilantro
- pickled jalapenos
- thin sliced cucumber
Instructions
For the Pork Belly:
- Combine all the ingredients in a sous vide bag and cook at 170 for 8 hours. Drain the liquid into a bowl and lay the pork belly out on a sheet pan covered in foil and sprayed with oil. Reduce the cooking liquid until thick and sauce like. Brush over the pork belly and broil until slightly charring but don't burn it. Watch closely!
- If not using sous vide, place pork belly and marinade into a large pan and simmer for 40-60 minutes. Check how tender the belly is. If it isn't tender keep cooking longer. Follow the same steps above to finish.
For the Pickled Veg:
- Combine the ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 30 min. Drain the veg before using.
For the Sandwiches:
- Spread some mayo and pate onto the rolls. Top with pork belly, pickled vegetables, and cilantro and serve.