Banh Mi Salad
The traditional Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich is reinvented as a healthy Banh Mi Salad.
Banh Mi Salad
Life is a ride. And so is my body clock. Ever since the husband started his new job, he’s been leaving home at 5.30am every morning, which means that I had to wake up before 5am daily compared to my normal waking up time at 6.30. Interestingly, this new habit makes me feel better and healthier and so does my husband. Although he normally is not a morning person, but nowadays, he feels like he has more energy and could accomplish more things during the day. As for me, my new habit of waking up early pushes me to exercise better and eat better. Sometimes being a picky eater is a good thing, don’t you think?
Today I’m sharing a salad recipe… a delicious salad recipe to be exact. I like Banh Mi Sandwich even when it only comes with fried egg. When I was in college, my friend and I often had this sandwich in between classes, right around lunch time. Good thing I only have classes two days a week so I did not feel overwhelmed by the sandwich during those two years of college. The sandwich place that we often went to always add Maggi sauce to it; hence the mayo spread tastes different compared to other sandwich shops. It’s unique and yet delicious.
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Well, today, I’m sharing this banh mi in salad and I’m adding pork meatballs on top, instead of fried egg. What I like about this salad is the dressing. Okay, I lied. I like everything about this salad. Pork meatballs are so easy to make and you only need 1 bowl to combine all the ingredients. And while you wait for the pork to harden a bit, you can start working on the pickles. Carrot daikon pickles are delicious and you only need 30 minutes to marinate it. Bonus point, you can enjoy this pickles alone or add them to your favorite salad. And the dressings… fresh and flavorful! I did not add lots of sodium to this; however it brings all the flavors out when you eat it with pickles and pork meatballs.
I hope you like this salad as much as I do because it does bring sunshine to the gloomy SF days.
Banh Mi Salad
Ingredients
For the Pork Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 tbs chopped cilantro
- 1 green onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbs fish sauce
- 1 tbs sriracha
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1/3 cup cornstarch for dredging
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the Carrot Daikon Pickles:
- 1 tbs sesame oil
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1 tbs rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp lime juice about 1/2 lime
- 1/3 cup carrot julienned
- 1/3 cup daikon radish julienned
For the Salad Dressing:
- 1/2 tsp maggi sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp lime juice about 1/2 lime
- 1 tbs rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbs oil
- 1 tbs sesame oil
- 1 tbs sriracha
For the Salad:
- 5 oz salad greens 5oz. Salad Spring Mix
- 1 Jalapeno sliced
- 1 Cucumber sliced or julienne
Instructions
For the Pork Meatballs:
- Combine all the ingredients, except cornstarch, in a bowl.
- Roll into approximately 16 balls (1 ounce each) and roll in cornstarch to completely cover the surface, refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan or a large pot over medium-high heat. Add meatballs into the hot oil and fry for 5 minutes. Don’t crowd them.
- Remove the meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Set aside.
For the Carrot Daikon Pickles:
- Combine all ingredients in a jar and refrigerate for 1 hour.
For the Salad Dressing:
- Combine all ingredients and drizzle over salad.
For the salad:
- Add salad greens to your plate and top with jalapeno, cucumber, and meatballs.
Nutrition
Here are a few of Brianne’s favorite salads…
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Margo says
Did you tried this with ground chicken?
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips says
I have not, but I would expect it to work fine. You might just want to check for doneness a little sooner since ground chicken can dry out faster since it is leaner than pork.
Amy Weaver says
Made this last night. One of my absolute favorite foods is the northern Vietnamese Bun Cha. This is very similar, without the fried spring roll. I used a little less of the Sriracha, but it was soooo good!! I also used kale b/c that is what I happened to have on hand. My family normally doesn’t like kale, but they all said this was really good 😀
Brianne Cupcakes & Kale Chips says
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Amy, and I love your use of kale in the salad!
Bethany says
Delicious! Eager to make this. How many servings does this recipe make?
Brianne Cupcakes & Kale Chips says
Bethany, the recipe uses a pound of meat, so if you’re serving it as a main dish, you’ll get 4-5 servings from it. I hope you enjoy it!
Emily says
This was outstanding! I love love love Bahn Mi but am trying to eat less bread/carbs so this was right up my alley. The meatballs were seriously out of this world! My fiance is still raving about it. Thank you for sharing such an incredible dish! My only add-ons were quinoa and a spicy mayo (mayo + sriracha) to dollop on the meatballs but other than that I followed the recipe verbatim. Thank you!
Brianne Cupcakes & Kale Chips says
Emily, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the Banh Mi salad recipe! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
b says
I love this. My kind of food.
Thanks for sharing at Wake Up Wednesday,
Bev
Liz Latham says
I’m a huge fan of salads and healthier options are always the better options! Thanks for linking up at delicious dishes recipe party!
Lynn Spencer says
Oh my…I’ve pinned this and can’t wait to make it. Looks just delicious. This is one of my most favorite kind of meals…kind of a deconstructed kind of thing on a bed of lettuce. Can’t go wrong.
Thanks, Lynn
Chelc | Inside the Fox Den says
This looks so good! Pinned! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday, hope to see you again next week!
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood says
My husband is going to LOVE this! I can’t wait to make it for him!
Jessy @ The Life Jolie says
Now this is my kind of salad- I’m loving the addition for a jalapenos- spicy is always a good thing! Pinning!
Julie Santos says
I love making banh mi but never thought I would make this into a salad. I love to try this out!
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips says
It’s such a great idea! Love finding ways to enjoy things I like to eat but make them lighter.