Vietnamese Caramel Pork Banh Mi
NOTE: You’ll want to prepare the quick pickled veggies a little in advance, to give them a chance to cool down, chill and pick up all that great flavor. I prepare the rest of my ingredients while that happens and sometimes pop the pickles in the freezer if I need them even quicker.
- Yield: serves 4 to 6 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- One 1.25 to 1.5 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Salt and pepper, as needed
- 3 teaspoons (give or take) olive oil or canola oil, for cooking
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups coconut water
- 1.5 TBSP soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1.5 TBSP fish sauce
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tsp Sriracha, or to taste
- 1 large baguette, cut into 4 even sections (or you can do 2 baguettes, cut into thirds for bigger portions … or you can use softer hoagie rolls)
- 1 cup fresh cucumber slices
- Quick pickled radishes and carrots (see easy recipe below)
- Cilantro
- Pickled jalapeños
For the Quick Pickled Radishes and Carrots
- 3 large carrots, shaved into strands with a vegetable peeler
- 8 to 10 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup rice wine cider
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 TBSP salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- To make the quick pickles: Put the radishes and carrots in a container with a lid and set aside. Add the vinegars, water, sugar, and salt to a saucepan set over medium heat. Simmer gently until the sugar dissolves; about 5 minutes or so.Â
- Turn off the heat and pour the hot pickling liquid over the carrots and radishes. Add the cinnamon stick, give it a stir and allow it to come to room temp (or close) before popping in the fridge to chill. I like to chill for at least 45 minutes before using.Â
- To make the caramel pork: Add the coconut or olive oil to a large skillet set over med-high heat. Season the pork pieces with salt and pepper and brown in the hot pan until golden but not cooked all the way through; about 4 or 5 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate or tray to rest while you make the sauce.Â
- Reduce the heat to medium (don’t wipe out the pan), and add the brown sugar and 1 TBSP water. Allow this to turn into a caramel of sorts, fully melting.
- Once it has (about 2 minutes) add the coconut water, soy sauce, pepper, fish sauce, shallots, and garlic. Simmer, stirring frequently, until this mixture has reduced dramatically – by over half – and becomes thick and noticeably stickier; takes about 8 to 10 minutes of simmering.
- Once you’re satisfied with the consistency, add the pork back in and cook over low heat for about 5 more minutes, or until the pork is done in the centers.Â
- To build your sandwiches: combine the Sriracha and mayo together in a small bowl. Slather a generous amount of this Sriracha mayo onto the cut sides of each piece of bread. Top with the caramel pork, slices of cucumber and some of the pickled veggies. Top with cilantro and pickled jalapenos, if you like. Enjoy while the pork is still warm.Â