1 hour ago
1
Master the flavour of home-made pork sausages to unlock the ultimate banh mi. Then add simple accoutrements for a perfect hand-held meal.
Trust me when I say there is nothing better than letting everyone assemble their own banh mi. They can control the ratio of sauce to bun, the amount of chilli, decide whether to add more pâté, and whether they want to test the physical limits of both bun and mouth.
I’ve leaned into French traditions here, incorporating pâté into the pork mince to create a pork sausage of sorts. Feel free to omit it.
Ingredients
800g pork mince
3 tbsp pâté (I used pork liver pâté)
¼ cup char sui sauce (see note)
2½ tbsp fish sauce
3 small spring onions, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
TO SERVE
crusty banh mi buns
carrot, grated
cucumber, cut into long, thin slices
long red chilli, finely sliced
hoisin sauce
Kewpie mayo
extra pâté
Method
Step 1
Combine all the pork “sausage” ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix the ingredients thoroughly − it will seem quite sticky, but persevere. Once all the ingredients are fully combined, shape the mixture into kofte-like logs roughly the length of the buns you will be serving. Precision is not important; you just want them all roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Rest the sausages in the fridge while you prepare the extra elements.
Step 2
Heat a barbecue hotplate to medium heat. Drizzle with a little olive oil and add the sausages. Let them sit undisturbed for at least 5 minutes before gently turning over. Cook for another few minutes or until cooked through. You can then gently turn them several times to caramelise on all sides.
Step 3
Remove the sausages from the hotplate and serve immediately with all the extras. Your job is done.
Note
If you can’t find char sui sauce at the supermarket, improvise by adding a teaspoon or so of Chinese five-spice powder to hoisin sauce instead.
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