Classic Vietnamese banh mi sandwich recipe 2 ways

Food creator Lisa Nguyen knows how to pack bold, mouthwatering flavors into a cohesive, craveable bite.

For Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Nguyen shared a classic Vietnamese recipe with "Good Morning America" that is not only way better than takeout, but cuts down on cost by turning a big batch of ingredients into pickled veggies or mushroom pate that can stretch to other dishes beyond this classic sandwich.

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Vietnamese Grilled Beef Banh Mi (Banh Mi Thit Nuong)

Makes: 12-15 sandwiches

Ingredients
4 pounds ribeye, thinly sliced
12-15 French baguettes or hoagies (6-8 inches lengthwise)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 medium shallot, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh lemongrass, smashed and finely chopped (can replace with same amount of lemongrass powder)
1/4 cup water
2 carrots, julienned
1 daikon, julienned
2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup sriracha
2 cucumbers, sliced
2 jalapenos
2 ounces mushroom pate, recipe below
1/2 cup Kewpie mayonnaise (can use regular mayonnaise)
1 bunch of cilantro

Mushroom Pate
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
16 ounces portabella mushroom, chopped
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 basil leaves with stem
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 stick vegan butter
1/2 cup vegetable stock

Directions

For the mushroom pate: Saute vegetable oil in saucepan. Add chopped onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent.

Add portabella mushroom, salt, black pepper, basil, and butter. Cook until the mushroom is cooked through.

Add vegetable stock and soy sauce. Scrape caramelized bits at the bottom of the pan.

Rest mixture for 5 minutes and then blend in a mixer.

Marinate the beef: In a large bowl, mix together the fish sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, 4 tablespoons sugar, honey, pepper, salt, shallot, lemongrass and water. Add the sliced beef to the marinade, making sure each piece is coated evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if possible.

For the pickled veggies: Combine carrots, daikon, white vinegar, 2 cups of sugar, and a pinch of salt to create pickled carrots and daikon. Let this sit for at least 2 hours, mixing every half an hour.

Combine hoisin sauce and sriracha and set aside for the dressing.

To cook and assemble: Preheat your skillet to medium-high heat. Remove the beef from the marinade and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

Toast baguettes in an oven at 400 F until lightly toasted.

Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise and spread a tablespoon of mayonnaise on one side and 1/2 tablespoon of mushroom pate on the other. Add a dash of soy sauce.

To assemble the banh mi, place a few slices of grilled beef on the bottom half of each baguette. Add 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce and sriracha mixture to the meat.

Top with sliced cucumber, pickled carrots and daikon, and a sprig of cilantro. Add a couple of jalapeno slices if you would like it to be spicy.

Add a dash of soy sauce and sriracha on top of veggies.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Chef's note: For a vegetarian version, Nguyen created a version below that replaces beef with tofu and a mushroom pate.

Vegetarian ingredients to swap:

Replace the meat with 11 ounces fried tofu (if the supplier doesn't have fried tofu, we can fry firm tofu ahead of time when we prep the marinated meat).

Replace Kewpie mayonnaise with vegan mayonnaise.

Cut out step 1 since tofu will not need to be marinated.

Tofu will be sliced and pan-fried to heat/crisp up.