Hoi An's famous Vietnamese Banh Mi and special sauce

Hoi An’s Banh Mi

The most famous Banh Mi probably originates from Hoi An, which is home to Banh Mi Phuong located at No. 2B Phan Trau Trinh, Hoi An, considered as one of the best banh mi makers in Vietnam.

Hoi An, better known as the “City of Lanterns”, is a trading port in Vietnam with many foreign influences as shown by the iconic Japanese bridge and the Portuguese style Old Town. During the French occupation, the baguette was introduced but since wheat was imported and expensive, local bakeries added rice flour to their bread. Hence the Vietnamese banh mi (which literally means “bread”) was created, which is a lighter and crispier version of the French baguette.

After tasting Banh Mi Phuong’s famous sandwich made with pate, meats, fresh cucumber, cilantro and pickled carrot and daikon and doused with its special sauce, Anthony Bourdain has declared it a triumph!

To watch Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservation” episode about this famous Banh mi, click here.

Banh Mi’s Fillings

Most Vietnamese snack and sandwiches shops offer a long list of fillings, and various combinations, for your selection:

Vietnamese ham and steamed thinly sliced pork
Roast chicken
Grilled meat
BBQ tofu or firm tofu
Meat balls
Pork and shredded pork skin

But it’s so easy to make Banh Mi at home. All you need is French baguette or your favorite crusty bread like ciabatta and your pick of protein, pickled julienned carrot and daikon, cilantro, crisp cucumber and your choice of mayo like Japanese mayo, Sriracha mayo or Garlic aioli (or make your own). Scroll down to check my favorite condiments and how to get them.

But the game changer, is the Hoi An’s special sauce…

Hoi An’s Banh Mi special sauce

What sets Hoi An’s Banh Mi apart, is their special sauce. Every stall vendor has a special family sauce.

Here’s my version of the Hoi An’s Banh Mi special sauce, but feel free to experiment! Some people prefer a smooth thick sauce and blend the minced pork with the chopped tomatoes in a food processor before adding them to the sauce, but I like this sauce with some texture, and use the minced pork and chopped onions without blending. It may seem weird to add mayo to the sauce, so you can skip this if you want, but it is an ingredient used in the Hoi An banh mi sauce recipe to make it creamier. The “secret ingredient” is the crushed pineapple which adds a tangy sweetness to the sauce.

Ingredients

Hoi An's famous Vietnamese Banh Mi and special sauce — Minced onions, shallots, garlic and tomatoes for the Banh Mi special sauce

7 oz / 200 Gr ground pork (you can also use ground chicken or turkey)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 small chopped tomatoes (seedless)
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Maggi soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon or more Sriracha chili sauce (you can skip if you plan to serve this sauce to children)
2 to 3 tablespoons Palm sugar (or brown sugar), according to your personal taste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon chicken powder
1 cup water
1 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup minced green onions
1/4 cup minced coriander
Crispy fried shallots

Instructions

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, shallots and garlic and stir till fragrant, add the ground pork, stir and break any lumps, add the tomatoes. Saute for around 2-3 minutes. Add the sauces, mix well and stir for couple of minutes. Add the water. Heat till boiling, lower the heat to simmer. Add the crushed pineapple. Continue to simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes to reduce the sauce. It should be thick but still fluid, like the consistency of a bowl of chili. Taste and adjust seasoning. It should be sweet, salty with a hint of acidity and spiciness.

Sprinkle the minced green onions, coriander and crispy shallots before serving.

Hoi An's famous Vietnamese Banh Mi and special sauce 6 — Hoi An Banh Mi special sauce

How to serve

To serve, scoop 1 or 2 tablespoons of sauce over the fillings and enjoy. For less messy eating, you can also spread the sauce over the bread for it to be absorbed, and add the Banh mi fillings on top!

Hoi An's famous Vietnamese Banh Mi and special sauce 3 — Crusty bread or baguette and Banh Mi filling ingredients

Hoi An's famous Vietnamese Banh Mi and special sauce 9 — Fill the bread with the various Banh Mi fillings

Hoi An's famous Vietnamese Banh Mi and special sauce 11 — Hoi An special sauce for Banh Mi

Enjoy! Another Hoi An specialty is its Chicken Rice. Click here for the recipe.

Check out my other Vietnamese recipes here…

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