This banh mi bowl is full of flavor, crunch, and fresh ingredients to where I crave it. With all the Vietnamese flavors, this banh mi bowl is going to be a recipe I will come back to again and again.
I am not a sandwich person. Mostly because I grew up on subway and assumed this is where sandwiches peak. Then I moved from a small town to a big city full of influence and found the Banh Mi. This beautiful Vietnamese creation to take back their culture from the french influence after colonization will forever have a place in my heart. To where I took the flavors and created a Banh Mi Bowl to keep in my meal rotation.
Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with the original. I recommend if you haven’t tried a banh mi sandwich? Go find the closest one and enjoy it. I also want to say I don’t claim this recipe to be authentic and that you should really give a local place a try or even try some of these banh mi recipes.
- Tofu Banh Mi by Meera Sodha’s on the guardian
- Banh Mi by Recipe Tin Eats
- The Ultimate Banh mi by NomVietNom
I have tried all of these recipes and I enjoy all of them equally. This recipe can also be adapted to the original sandwich as well. I have eaten it both ways and with different proteins and it always made a tasty dinner.
It has pickled veggies, chilis, herbs, and mayo on a french crusty bread. The proteins and meats span from pate to chicken to tofu. And they are always perfectly spiced. Always.
With this recipe, I decided to deconstruct it and have it over a bed of rice. Mostly because I just wanted something with a little more carbs than bread. I also don’t keep the right bread around in the house majority of the time so this gives me the freedom to keep all the things that make a banh mi in my meal rotation.
For this recipe I also made the pickle. The brine recipe is by Justin McFadden’s Book Six Seasons. Both his books are so influential with my cooking and I recommend getting them into your arsenal. It’s universal, to the point where I won’t be sharing it on this post. It’s a big beginning to his book and I feel like even if I got the permission, it would be taking a good portion of his book he made and discounting it on some blog post.
I really hope you love this recipe as much as I do! As well as I hope ya’ll go out and support your local Vietnamese spots that are creating tasty meals for you. If you liked this you can always comment or tag me on instagram with @vegiventurer or use the hashtags #vegiventurer or #vegiventurer recipes.
These next few weeks are going to be wild with superbowl and valentines day so be ready!
Banh Mi Bowl
Ingredients
Marinade for the Banh Mi Bowl
- 1 lb Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp Ginger minced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Sriracha
Banh Mi Bowl Assembly
- 2 cups Basmati Rice cooked
- 1 head Romaine Lettuce roughly chopped
- 1/2 Persian cucumber thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Cilantro roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup Basil roughly chopped
- 1 cup Pickled Carrot and Daikon Radish
- 1 Jalapeño Pepper thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Mayo Of Choice I used kewpie mayo
- 1 tbsp Sriracha
Instructions
To make the Marinated Chicken
- Mix all your ingredients to your marinade (1 tbsp ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp light brown sugar, 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 1 tsp Chinese five spice, 1 tbsp of rice vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, and 1 tsp sriracha) into a medium bowl until you create a thick paste. Add in your chicken thighs and roll them around until they are evenly coated.
- Cover your chicken with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 8 hours.
To Assembly the Banh Mi Bowl
- Once your chicken has marinated, preheat a pan on medium high heat. Take your chicken thighs and shake off any excess marinade. Sear your chicken on both sides until cooked all the way through. Be sure no to overcrowd the pan. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- In a bowl, add your rice to the base. Top with pickled veggies, romaine, cucumber, jalapeno, and herbs. Slice and add your portion of chicken and drizzle with mayo and sriracha.
