{"title":"How to Make a Banh Mi Sandwich","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/cooking/how-to-make-a-banh-mi-sandwich","category":{"slug":"cooking","name":"Cooking"},"creator":{"name":"Joshua Weissman","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChBEbMKI1eCcejTtmI32UEw","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tQnBphNFlU"},"tldr":"Make a real banh mi at home: crispy three-pepper pork belly, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro, and sweet chili sauce stacked on a warm baguette.","totalDurationSeconds":502,"difficulty":"medium","tools":["Chef's knife","Cutting board","Vegetable peeler","Baking sheet"],"materials":["French baguette","Pork pâté or roasted pork","Daikon radish","Carrots","Cilantro","Jalapeño","Kewpie mayonnaise","Fish sauce"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Dry-Brine the Pork Belly Overnight","text":"Set a 2-3 lb pork belly skin-side up on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Salt both sides generously with kosher salt and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight. The cold air pulls the moisture out of the skin so it can crackle later instead of going leathery in the oven.This step is the single biggest factor in whether the skin puffs up or stays tough. Skip it and the belly bakes up chewy. A full 12-24 hours uncovered in the fridge is the move."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Blend the Three-Pepper Powder","text":"Pull the dried pork from the fridge. In a small high-speed blender or spice grinder, combine 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, and 1 tbsp white peppercorns. Blend into a fine, even powder.Three peppers do three different things. Black brings the heat you expect, Sichuan adds the tingly numbing edge, and white pepper has a deep musky undertone. Mix the blend with salt to taste, then rub it firmly into the meaty underside of the belly. Leave the skin alone - it gets a separate treatment."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Foil-Wrap the Underside, Oil and Salt the Skin","text":"Tear a piece of heavy-duty foil large enough to hold the belly. Set the pork in the middle and pull the foil up around the sides, snug against the meat but leaving the skin fully exposed across the top with a clear foil border.Rub a thin layer of vegetable oil over the skin and massage it in. Then shower the skin with kosher salt (flaky sea salt if you have it). The oil and salt together help dehydrate the skin in the oven so it puffs into shards instead of staying soft."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Roast Low, Then Blast at High Heat","text":"Roast the belly at 300F for 2.5 hours. Halfway through, peek and tighten the foil dam if the meat has shrunk and pulled away from the sides. This long, gentle roast renders the fat and cooks the meat through without scorching the skin.When the timer goes off, crank the oven to 500F (or 475F if that's your max). Roast another 25-30 minutes until the skin puffs up, blisters, and turns crackly. You'll hear the difference when you tap it - it should sound almost like glass."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Quick-Pickle the Carrots and Daikon","text":"While the pork roasts, julienne 3 carrots and half a small daikon into thin matchsticks. Pack them into separate jars or pint containers - keeping them apart means you can use the carrots in other dishes later without the daikon flavor bleeding through.In a small pot, bring 1 cup rice vinegar, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1 tbsp coriander seeds, and 2 strips of lime zest to a boil. As soon as it boils, pull it off the heat and strain the hot brine over the vegetables so they're fully submerged. Let them cool to room temperature on the counter, then chill."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Reduce the Sweet Chili Sauce","text":"In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup sambal oelek, and 2 tbsp fish sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and let it reduce for 5 minutes. The sauce thickens slightly and the sambal mellows out.Whisk 1 tbsp cornstarch with a small splash of water to make a slurry, then stir it in. Drop the heat to low and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Cut the heat and stir in 8 cloves of finely chopped garlic and 2 bruised kaffir lime leaves. Let it steep while you finish the sandwich."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Rest the Pork, Then Slice with a Serrated Knife","text":"Pull the pork from the oven and let it rest, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Resting lets the juices redistribute so they don't run out the second you cut in.Use a serrated knife - the same one you'd use for bread - and slice the belly into pieces about half an inch thick. A straight chef's knife shatters the crackle as it pushes through. The serrated edge saws cleanly so the skin stays intact on each slice."},{"number":8,"title":"Step 8: Prep the Cucumber, Chilies, and Bread","text":"Cut each baguette into 12-inch segments - two baguettes feed four people. Wrap the segments in foil and pop them in the warm oven for 5 to 10 minutes so the crust is hot and the inside stays soft.While the bread warms, slice fresh cucumber into thin coins. Then slice 3 to 5 red Fresno chilies (or jalapeños) into thin rings. Pinch the cilantro leaves off the stems and have everything within arm's reach for assembly."},{"number":9,"title":"Step 9: Build the Banh Mi and Eat It Hot","text":"Pull a warm baguette from the oven. Use a serrated knife to split it lengthwise without cutting all the way through - keep the back hinge intact so it folds like a book. Spread mayonnaise generously across both inside faces.Layer slices of crispy pork belly down the bottom. Shingle cucumber coins on top of the pork, then stack a generous pinch of pickled carrot and daikon over the cucumber. Top with sliced chilies, a drizzle of sweet chili sauce, and a small handful of fresh cilantro. Press the top of the loaf closed and cut it crosswise if you want a pretty serve, or pick it up and eat it right away while the bread is still warm."}],"recipe":{"servings":"Makes 4 sandwiches","prepMinutes":45,"cookMinutes":180,"cuisine":"Vietnamese","ingredients":[{"name":"pork belly with skin on","notes":"skin must be intact for the crackle","amount":"2-3 lb (907 g)"},{"name":"kosher salt","amount":"to taste, plus extra for the skin"},{"name":"black peppercorns","notes":"blended into powder","amount":"1 tbsp (9 g)"},{"name":"Sichuan peppercorns","notes":"blended into powder","amount":"1 tbsp (3 g)"},{"name":"white peppercorns","notes":"blended into powder","amount":"1 tbsp (10 g)"},{"name":"vegetable oil","notes":"for rubbing the skin","amount":"2 tbsp (17 g)"},{"name":"carrots","amount":"3 whole, julienned"},{"name":"daikon radish","amount":"1 small, julienned"},{"name":"rice vinegar","notes":"1 cup for the pickle brine, 1 cup for the sweet chili sauce","amount":"2 cups (480 ml) total"},{"name":"granulated sugar","notes":"2 tbsp for pickles, 3/4 cup for sweet chili sauce","amount":"3/4 cup + 2 tbsp"},{"name":"coriander seeds","notes":"for the pickle brine","amount":"1 tbsp (5 g)"},{"name":"lime zest","notes":"for the pickle brine","amount":"2 strips"},{"name":"fish sauce","notes":"for the sweet chili sauce","amount":"2 tbsp (20 g)"},{"name":"sambal oelek","notes":"for the sweet chili sauce","amount":"1/4 cup (63 g)"},{"name":"garlic","notes":"for the sweet chili sauce","amount":"8 cloves, finely chopped"},{"name":"kaffir lime leaves","notes":"for the sweet chili sauce","amount":"2, bruised"},{"name":"cornstarch","notes":"slurried with water to thicken the sauce","amount":"1 tbsp (8 g)"},{"name":"baguettes","amount":"2 large (each cut into two 12-inch sandwiches)"},{"name":"mayonnaise","amount":"for spreading"},{"name":"cucumber","amount":"1, sliced into thin coins"},{"name":"red Fresno chilies or jalapeños","amount":"3-5, sliced thinly"},{"name":"fresh cilantro leaves","amount":"1 small bunch"}]},"lastUpdated":"2026-06-10T14:13:34.033Z","published":"2026-06-03T14:41:51.152Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}