• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Cooking Therapy logo
  • About Me
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer
  • Subscribe
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Drinks
    • Main Dishes
      • Beef
      • Chicken & Poultry
      • Fish & Seafood
      • Pork
      • Tofu
    • Noodle Bowls & Soups
    • Side Dishes
    • Salads
    • Dips & Sauces
    • Sweets & Desserts
      • Bars & Brownies
      • Cakes
      • Candy & Confectionary
      • Cookies
      • Curds & Custards
      • Donuts
      • Ice Cream
      • Mochi
      • Pies & Tarts
  • Restaurant Guides
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Home » Recipes » 30 Minute Meals

Aug 15, 2021(updated Oct 19, 2022)

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi

4.50 from 10 votes

4 Comments

by Becca Du

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
lemongrass pork banh mi

Man it is HOT this weekend which means minimal cooking for me. One of my favorite dishes of all time is sandwiches! I think sandwiches are so underrated. I think most of us overlook them because they are so easy to make, but the combination of crispy fluffy bread with meat and vegetables is just perfection in every bite. The Vietnamese version of the Western sandwich is banh mi. Hipsters and new age food people LOVE banh mi, mostly because it’s one of the least weird things from Vietnamese cuisine. I’ve actually never made a traditional Vietnamese sandwich, so I was really excited to dive into this lemongrass pork banh mi recipe.

lemongrass pork banh mi

The origins of banh mi

Banh mi is the Vietnamese word for bread. I always laugh a little bit when people say “banh mi sandwich” because you’re really saying “bread sandwich”. Banh mi is another perfect example of the mixture of Vietnamese and French cuisine. Ingredients that come from French cuisine include the baguette, mayonnaise, and pate. The rest are either Vietnamese ingredients or come from both cultures. A traditional Vietnamese sandwich typically has a combination of meats (typically some kind of pork and cha lua), pickled carrots, pickled daikon, cilantro, and jalapeños. All of these ingredients are served in a baguette. For my version of banh mi, I chose a combination of lemongrass pork and cha lua. Other meats I’ve seen used are ham, chicken, and even shrimp. I’ve even made a vegetarian tofu banh mi.

Because banh mi has gotten so popular in the last couple years, weird versions of it have been made like I once saw a banh mi burger. This makes no sense to me because you’re essentially saying “bread burger”. In my personal opinion, you can’t categorize a dish “banh mi” unless it is served in a baguette, has pate, and includes a combination of proteins (pork, chicken, beef, or tofu) and fresh vegetables. The most traditional combination of vegetables used is pickled daikon, pickled carrots, cilantro, and jalapeños.

ingredients

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

Lemongrass pork

  • Pork shoulder – The main protein in my lemongrass pork banh mi. I love using pork shoulder because it has a great fat to meat ratio. Good substitutes for pork shoulder are pork belly and pork butt. You can also use leaner cuts of pork like pork chops or pork loin, but personally, I don’t think it’ll taste as good.
  • Garlic – Adds flavor to the pork shoulder and helps cover the gross meat-y taste of the pork.
  • Fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce – These ingredients add salty and umami flavors to the pork shoulder. Use tamari instead of soy sauce and eliminate oyster sauce to make this marinade gluten free.
  • Brown sugar – Adds sweetness to the marinade. I used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar will also work. I would use less sugar if using dark brown sugar because it is slightly sweeter.

Other Ingredients

  • Baguettes – I would not substitute anything else for baguettes for the most authentic Vietnamese banh mi.
  • Cha lua – Cha lua is a pork sausage made by steaming pork in a banana leaf. It is definitely an acquired taste, so you can leave it out if you don’t like it.
  • Pate & mayonnaise – Like the baguette, these are French ingredients that add amazing flavor to the banh mi. Any kind of pate and mayonnaise should work for this banh mi. I personally like using Kewpie mayo because it’s richer in flavor. For the pate, I prefer the Flower Brand Cured Pork Liver Pate because it is the easiest to spread and has the best flavor in my opinion.
  • Cilantro, cucumbers, and jalapeno – Fresh vegetables provides balance to the richer ingredients.
  • Pickled carrots and daikon – Like the fresh vegetables above, these pickled vegetables provide more balance to the sandwich. Get the recipe for my pickled carrots and daikon here
marinating the pork shoulder
grilled pork shoulder

Making my lemongrass pork banh mi

First prep the cha lua, cucumbers, and jalapeños by thinly slicing them. Set them aside in the fridge. Combine all the ingredients for the lemongrass pork in a bowl. Make sure the lemongrass pork is coated in the marinade. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. Next heat a grill pan or regular pan over high heat. Cook the pork for 1-2 minutes on each side until it is brown. Set aside the pork.

Now it’s time to put together your pork banh mi. Slice the baguette about halfway, so you can open it like a Subway sandwich. Smear the pate on one side and the mayonnaise on the other side. Add the lemongrass pork, cha lua, cilantro, cucumbers, pickled carrots, pickled daikon, and jalapeño to the baguette, and you’re done! Make sure to serve and eat right away for the best flavor and texture.

lemongrass pork banh mi

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

Follow Cooking Therapy on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @cooking__therapy and #beccascookingtherapy.

Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all my latest recipes.

lemongrass pork banh mi

Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi

Becca Du
An easy recipe for Vietnamese banh mi that includes lemongrass pork, fresh vegetables, pate, and mayonnaise.
4.50 from 10 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Vietnamese
Servings 4 people
Calories 579 kcal

Equipment

  • Cast Iron Grill Pan

Ingredients
 
 

Lemongrass Pork

  • 1 lb pork shoulder
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 stalks lemongrass minced
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar

Other Ingredients

  • 2 baguettes halved
  • 1 roll cha lua thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup pate
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp cilantro
  • 2 Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup pickled carrots
  • ¼ cup pickled daikon
  • 1 jalapeno thinly sliced, optional

Instructions
 

  • First prep your cha lua, cucumbers, and jalapeño. Thinly slice all these ingredients and set aside in the fridge.
  • Combine all the ingredients for the lemongrass pork in a bowl. Make sure the pork is coated in the marinade. Let the pork marinate for at least 30 minutes.
  • Heat a grill pan or regular pan over high heat. Cook the pork for 1-2 minutes on each side until brown. Set aside.
  • Put together your banh mi. Cut the baguette about halfway through length wise, so you can open it like a Subway sandwich. Smear mayonnaise on one side of the baguette and pate on the other side of the baguette. Add the lemongrass pork, cha lua, cilantro, cucumbers, pickled carrots, pickled daikon, and jalapeño to the baguette.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Serve right away for the best flavor and texture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1banh miCalories: 579kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 27gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 1733mgPotassium: 507mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1404IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 121mgIron: 5mg
Keyword banh mi recipe, pork banh mi
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
If you love this post, share it!
  1.3K    
VietnameseDairy-FreeFallSpringSummerWinterFish Sauce, Lemongrass, Oyster Sauce, Soy Sauce

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Craig Foster Palmer says

    June 20, 2021 at 7:11 am

    There is no lemongrass in your recipe

    Reply
    • Becca says

      June 20, 2021 at 8:37 am

      Thanks for catching that! I updated the recipe with the lemongrass.

      Reply
  2. Sarah says

    December 31, 2022 at 9:57 am

    Do have recipe to make the pickled carrot and daikon you use ?

    Reply
    • Becca Du says

      January 2, 2023 at 1:15 pm

      Yes I do! https://www.cooking-therapy.com/how-to-make-pickled-vegetables/ Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Me


Hello I'm Becca! I believe any day can be made better with a bowl of noodle soup. Here you will find recipes from my Chinese/Vietnamese heritage and stories from my experience living here in beautiful LA. Grab a drink and stay awhile! Read More

Lunar New Year 2023

Featured recipes for lunar new year 2023

Never Miss A Post!

Subscribe to get monthly doses of cooking inspiration and foodie goodness in our inbox.

Winter Soups

vietnamese chicken tomato soup

Vietnamese Chicken Tomato Soup

pho recipe

Traditional Vietnamese Beef Pho (Pho Bo)

Ragu ga in a bowl with a spoon in the stew.

Ragu Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Ragu)

Search

Footer

Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions · All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2023 · Cooking Therapy