Bánh Mì Nem Chua (Nem Chua Baguette)

Bánh Mì Nem Chua (Nem Chua Baguette)

Recipes with Nem Chua

Nem chua in a bánh mì is simple work: slice the sausage, load the baguette, and let the fermented pork carry the sandwich. The pickled carrot and daikon bring their own acid, which stacks against the sourness of the nem chua rather than fighting it. Coriander and cucumber cool the whole thing. The result is a lunch that takes ten minutes and tastes like it came from a proper bánh mì cart.

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

0 min

Servings

2

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

  • 2 bánh mì rolls (or small French baguettes)
  • 6 nem chua parcels
  • 1 small carrot, julienned
  • 5 cm piece daikon, julienned
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cucumber, cut into thin rounds
  • 1 handful fresh coriander
  • 4–6 thin slices fresh red chilli
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp chilli sauce (tương ớt)

Steps

1

Quick-pickle the carrot and daikon: toss the julienned pieces with sugar, rice vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Leave for ten minutes. The vegetables will soften slightly and turn bright.

2

Unwrap the nem chua parcels and slice each sausage crosswise into thin rounds, about 5mm thick.

3

Split the bánh mì rolls lengthwise without cutting all the way through. Press the bread open.

4

Spread mayonnaise on the bottom half of each roll. Add a stripe of chilli sauce.

5

Layer nem chua rounds along the length of the roll. Add pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber rounds, coriander, and chilli slices.

6

Close the roll and press gently. Eat immediately — the bread goes soft quickly once filled.

Tips

Bánh mì bread has a thin crust and a very open crumb. If using a standard French baguette, hollow out some of the crumb before filling — a dense crumb crowds out the filling and unbalances the sandwich. The pickled vegetables should have some acidity before going in: flat pickles make the sandwich flat.