After picking up pâté from the grocery store with every intention to make traditional banh mi for dinner, I realized that with Cince de Mayo just around the corner, tacos sounded like a much better idea. Luckily, Vietnamese and Mexican food share many of the same fresh ingredients, such as lime, jalapenos, and cilantro, so creating a fusion dish was an easy transition from my original plan.

The funny thing about banh mi is it has become so ingrained into modern foodie vocabulary that most people don’t realize that the literal Vietnamese translation just means “bread” or “sandwich.” While certain fixins’ are almost always a staple, such cilantro and pickled veggies, you can actually make banh mi with almost any meat. Restaurant banh mi will typically feature Vietnamese pork roll, aka chả lụa, (also referred to as “the best mystery meat I’ve ever had” by my dear friend Mike), or Chinese BBQ pork as the main meat. Realistically, growing up, my family would make banh mi as a means to use up leftover meat and veggies. My personal favorite meat of choice is a sweet and spicy pork patty, seasoned with fish sauce, lemongrass, ginger and onions, featured in this recipe. Feel free to experiment with different proteins and veggies as well, but whatever you do, DO NOT forget the pâté – it’s the best part!

banh mi taco step by step

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