Bánh mì is a signature dish of Vietnam with an incredibly appealing flavor. Bánh mì has many diverse variations to create a rich taste for this dish. Today, let’s get into the kitchen to make 3 delicious and attractive bánh mì dishes from beef!
1. Grilled Beef Bánh Mì
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Grilled Beef Bánh Mì For 4 servings
Bánh mì 4 pieces Ground beef 500 gr Cucumber 1 piece Carrot 1/2 piece Daikon 1/2 piece Lemongrass 6 stalks Garlic 8 cloves Shallots 3 pieces Coriander A little Cornstarch 4 teaspoons Five-spice powder 1/2 teaspoon Honey 2 tablespoons Dark soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Soy sauce 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 5 tablespoons Black bean sauce 2 tablespoons Vinegar 80 ml Common seasoning A little (sugar/ salt/ ground pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh carrots
- It is best to choose carrots of moderate size, not too large, with a slender shape, and feel firm when held.
- Fresh carrots have a deep orange and bright color, smooth skin, not rough, and the green tops should still be firmly attached to the body without separating.
- Avoid choosing carrots with wilted tops, slimy to the touch, soft and mushy, and with many bruises on the surface.
How to choose fresh white radishes
- Choose white radishes that are medium-sized and tapered towards the tail. Radishes with thick tails often have a bland taste.
- It is best to select fresh white radishes that still have their tops and roots intact.
- Avoid white radishes with spoiled tops while the skin is still shiny, as these radishes have been injected with preservatives.
Tools needed
How to make Grilled Beef Banh Mi
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Prepare and Marinate the Beef
Wash the lemongrass, cut it into thin slices, and then pound it finely. Peel 4 cloves of garlic and 3 shallots, then pound them finely.
Marinate the minced beef with the pounded lemongrass, garlic, and shallots along with 1/2 teaspoon of five-spice powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of dark soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of honey, and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch.
Mix well so that the meat absorbs the seasonings and let it sit for 20 minutes. Soak the bamboo skewers in water for about 20 minutes.
Tip: You can add or omit honey and cornstarch, depending on your family’s preferences.
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Prepare Carrots, Radishes, and Make Pickles
Peel the carrots and radishes, and wash them thoroughly. Julienne the carrots and radishes. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix well.
Mix 80ml of vinegar with 80ml of water and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Add the salted carrots and radishes and let them soak for 4 – 5 hours to create pickles to accompany the banh mi.
Tip: If you want the pickles to ferment faster, you can increase the amount of vinegar.
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Making sandwich sauce
First, peel and finely chop the remaining 4 garlic cloves.
Heat a pot on the stove and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, add the chopped garlic, and sauté until fragrant. When the aroma is released, add 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, bring to a gentle boil, then add 1/2 cup of water and stir well.
Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of water, add it to the sauce pot and stir continuously until the sauce thickens.
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Skewers and Grilled Beef
You take a sufficient amount of beef, gently shape it into a cylindrical form and then use a wooden skewer to pierce through the center of the meat piece.
Turn on the grill and brush a thin layer of oil. Place the meat skewers on the grill for 15 minutes, turning both sides while grilling until the skewers emit a fragrant aroma and the meat changes to a beautiful color.
Tip: To prevent the meat from drying out while grilling, brush a layer of honey on the outside of the beef.
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Stuffing the Sandwich
After grilling, allow the meat to cool and then remove it from the skewer. You can cut the meat piece in half lengthwise or leave it whole.
Slice cucumbers very thinly. Remove wilted leaves, old leaves, and roots from the coriander, and wash thoroughly.
Cut the baguette in half, add 3 slices of cucumber, the desired amount of meat, pre-prepared pickled vegetables, and coriander. Finally, drizzle sauce on top and close the sandwich to enjoy.
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Final Product
The grilled beef sandwich has fragrant grilled beef, rich flavor inside the crispy bread, with a bit of fresh vegetables and delicious pickles, making it an extremely nutritious and tasty breakfast dish.
2. Stir-fried beef sandwich
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
10 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Stir-fried Beef Sandwich For 2 servings
Bread 2 pieces Beef 250 gr Onion 1 bulb Mozzarella cheese 6 slices Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Salt/ground pepper a little
How to choose fresh and delicious onions
- Choose onions that are round in shape with long roots, as these are the tastiest ones.
- Good onions will have a firm, smooth skin, an attractive yellow color, without dark spots, and will be tightly wrapped around the bulb.
- Avoid buying onions that have unusual shapes or completely missing their roots, as they will not taste good.
How to prepare Stir-fried Beef Sandwich
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Prepare the ingredients
For the beef, soak it in salted water for about 3 minutes to remove any unpleasant odor, then rinse it clean. Cut the beef into thin slices suitable for eating.
Peel the onion and cut it into square pieces.
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Sautéed beef with onions and cheese
Place a pan on the stove and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, heat it up. Add the onions and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes, until the onions turn slightly translucent, indicating they are cooked. Remove and place them on a plate.
Continuing with the same pan, add the beef and sauté on high heat for 1 – 2 minutes until the beef is medium rare. Add the onions and stir well.
Finally, add the cheese on top, reduce the heat, and let it melt. Once the cheese has just melted, stir well and turn off the heat.
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Stuffing the sandwich
Slice the bread lengthwise and fill it with the sautéed beef, and the dish is complete! You can enjoy the dish with a little salt and pepper or chili sauce.
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Final Product
Beef stir-fried baguette is simple yet incredibly appealing. The tender, sweet beef blends with the crunchy onions combined with the fragrant, rich cheese flavor; this will be a surprisingly delicious dish that will make you exclaim and want to eat more!
3. Minced Beef Baguette
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
50 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Minced Beef Baguette For 4 servings
Baguette 1 piece (or 2 – 3 regular bread as preferred) Minced beef 400 gr Tomato 1 piece Onion 1 piece Unsalted butter 1 tablespoon Mozzarella cheese 50 gr (or cheddar cheese) Spring onion 1 stalk Dill a little (optional) Garlic 1 bulb Salt/ ground pepper a little
How to Choose Fresh Tomatoes
- Choose tomatoes that are bright red, feel firm when held, and are of moderate size, not too large.
- Naturally ripe tomatoes usually have a red color, plump skin, and if closely observed, you can see small specks in the flesh through the skin.
- Avoid taking bruised, mushy, or overly soft tomatoes, as these may be spoiled tomatoes.
What is Baguette bread? Where to buy it?
- Baguette bread is a traditional type of bread from France, named so because in French “baguette” means “stick” or “long piece,” similar to its name, this type of bread is 50 – 100cm long, much longer than regular bread types.
- However, baguette bread has nearly the same main ingredients as other types of bread, which are water, flour, yeast, and regular salt. This type of bread also has a crispy outer crust, with a dense, fluffy, and chewy inner crumb. People often use baguette bread for breakfast with eggs, stuffed with savory fillings, or spread with jam.
- You can easily find baguette bread at bakeries or buy it at supermarkets.
Required tools
Oven, pan, knife, cutting board, bowl,…
How to make minced beef sandwich
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Prepare the ingredients
Peel the onion and dice it. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
Wash the tomatoes and dice them.
Wash the green onions and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Wash the dill and chop it finely.
Tip: You can choose to add dill or not depending on your family’s taste.
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Stir-fry the beef
Place a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and let it melt. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 – 3 minutes until the onion turns slightly translucent.
Add the minced meat and stir-fry for 3 – 4 minutes, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
Next, add diced tomatoes, chopped green onions, and dill along with minced garlic, and mix well. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper.
Stir well and cook for another 10 minutes, then turn off the heat.
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Grate and mix cheese with beef
You grate 50g of Mozzarella cheese. Then, scoop the cooked meat into a bowl and add the cheese, mixing them together until the beef and cheese are well combined.
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Stuff the filling and bake the bread
Use a knife to cut off the top half of the baguette and remove some of the white bread inside.
Fill the baguette with the beef and cheese mixture until it’s full.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, then place the baguette in to bake for about 10 – 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
After that, take the bread out, let it cool, and cut it into small bite-sized pieces.
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Finished product
Beef minced bread with a fragrant aroma, sweet taste of minced beef, and the creamy, melting flavor of cheese will definitely be a very unique dish you can use to treat your family and friends.
How to choose fresh and delicious beef
- Fresh beef always has a red color with white streaks mixed in, and the fat is bright yellow. The meat fibers are small and do not appear too smooth when viewed.
- When pressing on the meat, it feels firm, not mushy, and has good elasticity.
- Do not buy meat that has turned pale green or dark red, with dark yellow fat, especially if there are tiny spots on the surface and it feels slimy to the touch.
- Additionally, avoid buying meat that has a strong, unpleasant smell as it indicates the meat has been stored for too long.
- If you buy minced beef, it is advisable to choose whole pieces of meat first and ask the seller to grind it for you, or take it home to chop it yourself or use a meat grinder to grind it small.
How to prepare and remove the smell of beef
- Method 1: Soak the beef in white wine for 15 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
- Method 2: Place the beef in a pot of water, heat for about 3 – 5 minutes, then take it out and rinse to reduce the smell. Note that you should only heat it to about 50 degrees Celsius, not boil it.
- Method 3: Use lemon or vinegar to rub on the piece of beef for 5 – 7 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
- Method 4: Roast a piece of ginger, then smash it and rub it on the piece of beef, then rinse it clean.
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With the 3 recipes shared above, TasteVN wishes you success in making the delicious beef sandwich and providing sufficient nutrition for a new day. Wishing you success.
*Source for the recipe and images from the YouTube channel Delightful Plate, TONY NGUYEN and Lieblingsrezepte
