Pickled Pear and Carrot Topping
- 1 cup pears cut into 2-inch-by-1/8-inch sticks
- 1 cup carrots cut into 2-inch-by-1/8-inch sticks
- 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 3/4 cup peeled USA Pears cut in 1/4-inch dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed, peeled, and tender inner core minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Vietnamese fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, plus more as needed
Sandwiches
- 6 individual baguettes or 2 baguettes cut into 6 (8- to 10-inch-long) segments
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha chile sauce
- 18 cucumber slices
- 2 to 3 thinly sliced jalapeño chiles
- 12 fresh cilantro sprigs
- Fresh Thai basil leaves (optional)
Serves 6 (Makes about 18 meatballs)
To make the topping: Toss all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, tossing occasionally. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days.
To make the meatballs: Combine all of the ingredients, except the sesame oil, in a medium bowl.
Heat the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook the meatball patties by scooping up heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture and dotting them around the pan at least 1-inch apart. Cook until nicely browned on the first side, then flip them over and sear on the second side until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Repeat to cook the remaining meat mixture, adding more oil to the pan as needed.
To make the sandwiches: Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise. Pull out some of the bread from the top half to make room for the fillings. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and sriracha. Spread the sriracha mayo on the cut sides of each baguette. Arrange the cucumber slices on the bottom halves. Add 3 meatballs to each, and top with the drained pickle topping, jalapeno slices, and herbs.
Photography: George Barberis (@georgebarberis)
Recipe and Styling: Andrea Slonecker (@andreaslonecker)
- Serving Size: 1 Banh Mi (436g)
- Calories: 960
- Carbohydrate: 144g
- Dietary Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 34g
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