[1] Bánh-mi, a Vietnamese submarine sandwich on a baguette (photo © Ppy2010ha | Dreamstime).

[2] Don’t eat pork? Make a bành mí with any other meat, poultry, or vegan meat (photos #2, #3, and #4 © Good Eggs).

[3] Cilantro is the go-to herb for bành mí.

If you live in an area with a Vietnamese population, chances are there are bành mí shops that serve Vietnamese versions of a hero or submarine sandwich: meats and vegetables on a baguette.

But if there is no bành mí, it’s easy to make your own.

While the originals in Vietnam were made with pork, you can use any protein, including vegan bành mí.

Below:

> The history of bành mí.

> The bành mí sandwich recipe.

> More bành mí recipes.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of the sandwich.

> The different types of sandwiches: a photo glossary.

> The year’s 28+ sandwich holidays.

> 2-hour pickled vegetables recipe.
 
 
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BÀNH MÍ SANDWICHES

When Europeans colonized Asia, they brought Western bread to the table. In French Indochina, Vietnam, that emblem of French cuisine, the baguette, was introduced; as were sandwiches.

Baguette-based sandwiches were called bánh mì (pronounced bon MEE), a Vietnamese word that refers to all types of bread. For sandwiches, it is made in individual portions, like hero sandwich rolls.

The recipe is more airy than the conventional baguette, with a thinner crust. It actually uses a combination of rice and wheat flours, cutting back on the gluten.

In recent years, bánh mì have made their way west, to the U.S. From hole-in-the-wall bánh mì sandwich shops to trendy lunch bistros to Whole Foods Markets, these fresh, tasty sandwiches have become the rage in neighborhoods lucky enough to have them.

More often than not, pork is the meat of choice. But the defining characteristics of these sandwiches are their abundance of pickled vegetables and fresh herbs.

Chef Johnny Gnall shares the basics of making bánh mì—just in time to serve them as Super Bowl fare.

See the *footnote for the origin of the name “bánh mì.”
 

[4] If you’re not a fan of cilantro, how about parsley?

Ingredients

1. Bread

Some cooks hold that the bread is the most important part of this sandwich, so go out of your way to find the right type. If you don’t live near a Vietnamese bakery or grocer. While we prefer a classic baguette, others prefer semolina flour rolls, which have more room for fillings (but we scoop most of the crumb out of the bottom half of the baguette). The roll should be crisp on the outside; if not, then juices from the ingredients will make it soggy and very soft on the inside.

Vietnamese bakeries create a roll that is more crust than center (as opposed to American breads that tend to be the opposite). So if you have a roll with an excess of soft white inside, tear some out: You want as much room for your fillings as possible!

2. Protein

Braised pork is the name of the game in authentic Vietnamese bánh mì, slow-cooked to the point that you can pull it apart. Pork pâté is also popular. We use leftover pork roast, and also leftover steak and lamb roast, and grilled chicken cutlets. Vegan? Grilled tofu, portabello mushrooms, seitan, or textured vegetable protein.

If you prefer seafood, the country’s extensive coastline has inspired several seafood-based variations. Shrimp is often marinated in spicy or garlic-based sauces before being grilled or sautéed. In Vietnam you’ll also find:

 

[5] You can use any meat or poultry you like. In this photo, it’s venison (photo: The Nibble).
 

3. Pickled Vegetables

Here’s an easy recipe to pickle vegetables. As for choice of vegetables, you can’t go wrong with carrots, cucumbers, and radishes. You can julienne them, for contrast, thinly slice the cucumber or radishes in circles. Red bell peppers add color; and pickled onions make almost anything better.

> How to quick-pickle vegetables.

[6] It’s easy to make pickled vegetables. They can be ready in two hours (photo: The Nibble).

4. Fresh Cilantro

You really won’t find a bánh mì sandwich without cilantro. Its leafy, flavorful goodness helps to round out the other flavors in the sandwich and makes it taste just right. But if you are not a cilantro fan, follow your own path by substituting other fresh herbs. Basil, mint or parsley will do the trick.

5. Spread

Every sandwich needs a spread. Chef Johnny’s favorite for bánh mì is sambal– (chile paste) or sriracha– (hot sauce) flavored aïoli (garlic mayonnaise).

Just whisk together aïoli (store bought mayo works fine, whether or not you add garlic) and your preferred amount of the spicy paste or sauce. If spicy isn’t your thing, try honey, a little soy sauce, even some teriyaki sauce.

Just mix in small amounts at a time: You want flavor, but you don’t want a teriyaki sandwich.
 
 
YOUR SIGNATURE RECIPE

Once you’ve perfected the basic bánh mì sandwich, feel free to make it you own, customizing your culinary creation.

 
Now start building: bread, spread, protein, veggies, herbs. Enjoy!
 
 
MORE BÁNH MÌ RECIPES

 
________________
 
*The evolution of bánh tây, “Western bread,” was the original name used in northern Vietnam to refer to the French baguette when it was introduced by colonists in the mid-19th century. As bread became more integrated into Vietnamese culture, and as anti-French sentiment grew, the foreign-sounding bánh tây (Western bread) was dropped in favor of bánh mì, wheat bread. The term bánh mì không (plain bread) was eventually created to distinguish the unfilled baguette from the sandwich version, bánh mì.

The original era bánh tây was primarily eaten in the French style—on a plate with butter, ham, and pâté on the side. At this stage, a distinction like “không” wasn’t really needed because the sandwich didn’t yet exist in Vietnam. Around 1958 the Lê family at Hòa Mã, and other vendors began stuffing the ingredients inside the baguette to make a portable sandwich, and the term bánh mì began to refer to the entire sandwich. Consequently, bánh mì không became the standard way to ask for just the plain baguette. Other names like bánh mì Sài Gòn are also used to distinguish the light, airy Vietnamese baguette from more traditional, denser French version.

Someone might note that bread as a general concept (a grain-based baked food) wasn’t known in Vietnam or much of East/Southeast Asia prior to its introduction by Europeans. Traditional staples there were rice, noodles, and steamed preparations. The umbrella term “bánh” was used to describe cakes, dumplings, or starch-based foods. But by the time the baguette arrived in the mid-19th century, its name “bánh tây” (“Western bread”) wasn’t referring to bread in general, but specifically to the French baguette—wheat flour, yeast-leavened, oven-baked crusty loaf). That style of bread was new, distinct, and associated with those foreigners from the West (tây) the French.
 
 

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