One of our all time favorite sandwiches to eat is a Vietnamese banh mi. Traditionally, a banh mi features a crusty baguette filled with grilled meat, pickled vegetables, fresh herbs, and tangy sauce. Its elements of crunch, tenderness, sweetness, and spiciness are unique and so delicious.
This is a fusion dish combining the banh mi and the hamburger. This dish really had the flavors of a banh mi and it was a really different take on a burger. The quick pickled daikon and carrot are one of the core flavors of a banh mi, so don’t skip them. My regular grocery stores sell daikon most of the time, so it isn’t as hard to find as it used to be. If you haven’t used daikon before, it is a type of radish used in Asian cooking. It is a long white cylinder, and you need to peel the outside skin and just use the lovely white inside.
I cooked these burger patties on my stove top in a skillet, but they would be great grilled as well. Try to use a brioche type bun here instead of a typical grocery store burger bun. You can adjust the heat in this recipe by reducing the sriracha and jalapeno you use.
Pork Banh Mi Burgers
Ingredients
For the burger patties:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/4 cup finely chopped basil or thai basil if you can get it
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 scallions finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
For the mayo:
- 1 cup mayo
- 3 scallions finely chopped
- 2 tbsp sriracha
For the quick pickled veggies:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup grated daikon
To serve:
- 4 brioche buns
- sesame oil
- cilantro leaves
- julienned cucumber
- sliced jalapeno
Instructions
For the pickled veg:
- Combine the carrots, daikon, water, vinegar and salt and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain the veggies and press dry with paper towels before adding to the burgers.
For the mayo:
- Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
For the burgers:
- Combine the ingredients and mix gently until the meat and seasonings are well mixed. Heat a skillet over medium heat with a few tbsp of oil.
- Form the mixture into 4 patties. Add them to the hot pan and allow them to cook untouched until nicely golden brown and crisp on one side. Flip and do the same for the other side. Continue to flip and cook until they are fully cooked.
- Use another skillet to toast the buns. Brush a little sesame oil on the cut sides and toast in a skillet until browned.
To serve:
- Spread some mayo on the toasted buns and top with a burger patty. Add some pickled veggies, cucumber, sliced jalapeno and cilantro and close.