Home cook Duncan Lu specialises in Vietnamese cuisine, and he joined The Morning Show kitchen to show how to DIY banh mi with a recipe that will taste just as good as what you get at your local bakery.
Banh Mi at Home- Lemongrass Chicken (Bánh mì gà nướng sả ớt)
Serves 4
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Ingredients –
Vietnamese pickled carrots
3 carrots grated or julienne
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons sugar
50ml hot water
100ml cold water
150ml apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
Chicken marinade
500-600g chicken thighs
½ teaspoon turmeric
2-3 lemongrass stalks (white part only), crushed then finely sliced
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 birds eye chillies, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ tablespoon fish sauce
½ teaspoon anchovy salt
2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
Spring onion oil
100g pork fat, cubed small
½ bunch spring onions finely chopped
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon anchovy salt
30ml cooking oil
Nước mắm (Vietnamese fish sauce)
2 birds eye chillies de-seeded 3 cloves of garlic 4 tablespoons of fish sauce
4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar 4 tablespoons of sugar
6 tablespoons cold water
½ lime, juiced
Bread roll fillings:
4 Vietnamese bread rolls or crusty baguette
Spreadable butter
4 tablespoons pâté or chicken liver parfait
1 Lebanese cucumbers cut into 4 slices lengthways
1 bunch Vietnamese fish herb
½ bunch coriander roughly chopped (optional)
2 red chillis sliced (optional)
Method –
How to make pickled carrots:
- Mix sea salt, sugar with hot water until dissolved then add vinegar, cold water and carrots. Set aside in fridge until ready to serve.
Duncan’s tip: Pickle carrots 24-48 hours in advance. Store in fridge for up to 4-6 weeks.
How to marinate chicken:
- In a medium sized bowl, mix the chicken and marinade ingredients until well combined. Allow to marinate for 5-10 minutes. For best results, place in fridge and marinate overnight.
- Grill on a cast iron griddle pan on medium heat or on a BBQ for 5-6 mins each side or bake in a pre-heated oven at 220 C (fan-forced) for 18-20 mins or in a pre-heated air fryer at 190 C for 12-14mins. Allow chicken to rest for half the cooking time before slicing into 1cm slices.
How to make spring onion oil:
- In a small saucepan, add chopped pork fat and place on low-medium heat, occasionally stirring for 8-10 minutes or until fat has rendered then collect and discard pork lardons.
- In a small mixing bowl, add spring onions, ½ teaspoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon anchovy salt and mix well. Bring rendered pork fat to smoking point then safely pour into bowl of spring onions and combine well.
How to make Nước mắm sauce:
In mortar and pestle, crush and pound chillies, garlic and sugar into a paste then add remaining ingredients and mix well until sugar dissolves and sauce becomes slightly viscous.
Duncan’s tip: Make 3-4 times the amount and store in the fridge for up to 4-6 weeks to dress your noodle salads or serve with rice paper rolls.
How to assemble banh mi:
On each roll spread with butter and pate, add chicken slices and dress with 1-2 tablespoons of nuoc mam, 1 slice of cucumber, pickled carrots, then garnish with Vietnamese fish herb, coriander, chilli and spring onion oil