Banh Mi with Papaya Salad Recipe

This banh mi with papaya salad recipe combines smoky grilled pork shoulder with creamy pâté, hoisin sauce, tangy carrot-daikon pickles, jalapeño, cucumber, and fresh cilantro inside soft white rolls. Featured on VEGANnotvegan with Maddie and Kiki Longo, the sandwiches are served with a bright green papaya salad for a flavour-packed meal that balances savoury, sweet, spicy, and tangy elements.

The Inspiration

Inspired by Vietnamese banh mi and Southeast Asian green papaya salad, this recipe layers bold flavours and contrasting textures into one satisfying meal. Fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger, sambal oelek, garlic, scallions, brown sugar, and lime create a deeply seasoned pork marinade, while pâté, hoisin, mayonnaise, and crisp pickled vegetables give the sandwiches richness and freshness.

The papaya salad adds another vibrant component with Thai chillies, long beans, peanuts, basil, lime, and fish sauce, making this VEGANnotvegan dish a colourful example of Maddie and Kiki Longo’s globally inspired cooking style.

Ingredients

For the Grilled Pork Shoulder Chops

• 1 1/2 lb pork shoulder, cut into 3/4 inch sections across the grain
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup Soy sauce
• 2 inches Ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp Sambal Oelek
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• Zest and Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup of Vegetable oil

For the pickles

• 1 cup carrots, julienned
• 1 cup daikon, julienned
• 1 cup seasoned rice vinegar

For the Banh Mi

• 1 lb of Grilled Pork Shoulder Chops
• 4 (8-inch-long) soft white bread rolls
• 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup Japanese Mayonnaise (Kewpie)
• 2 tbsp Maggi Sauce
• 1 block or Chicken Liver Mousse Pate, your choice
• 1 jalapeño, cut into thin rings
• 1/2 seedless cucumber, cut into thin rings
• 1/2 cup of cilantro leaves

For the Papaya Salad

• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 inch of ginger, grated
• 2 red Thai chillies, finely chopped with seeds
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 3 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
• 10 Chinese long beans, cut into 2 inch sections
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and julienned
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  4 cups green papaya, shredded
• 5 sprigs of Thai basil (leaves only), hand torn

Method

For the Grilled Pork Shoulder Chop

• Heat grill over medium-high heat. Mix together the soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger, sambal oelek, brown sugar, black pepper, scallions, garlic and lime zest.
• Add the pork chops to the marinate and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Bring back to room temperature before grilling.
• Remove pork from marinade and oil the outside of the flesh.
• Place on a hot grill. Sear for 10 minutes, flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until slightly charred.
• Turn heat down to medium-low and keep cooking for another 5 minutes, flipping every minute.
• Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Drizzle lime juice over the top. Slice thinly before building sandwiches.

For the Papaya Salad

• Blanch the Chinese long beans in boiling water for 20 seconds. Rinse under cold water, pat dry.
• In a small pot, gently warm the fish sauce, lime juice, water and sugar until the sugar has just melted.
• Remove from the heat. Add grated garlic, ginger and red Thai chillies and let cool to room temp.
• In a large mixing bowl, add half the peanuts, half the Thai basil leaves, red bell pepper, shallots, Chinese long beans and papaya.
• Pour the dressing over the salad. Let sit for 10 minutes.
• Serve salad, and garnish with remaining peanuts and Thai basil leaves.

For the Pickles

• Mix the julienned carrots and daikon in a bowl. Pour the seasoned rice vinegar over the vegetable. Let it marinade for a minimum of 1 hour in the refrigerator.

For the Banh Mi

• Mix together the mayonnaise and Maggi sauce.
• Warm the bread rolls in a hot oven for 30 seconds.
• Slice the bread open lengthwise.
• Spread hoisin sauce on the bottom bun.
• Add slices of chicken liver mousse over the bottom bun and spread gently.
• Place pork over the mousse. Garnish with carrot and daikon pickles, jalapeño and cilantro.
• Spread mayonnaise mixture over the top bun and close your sandwich.

Serving Suggestions

This banh mi with papaya salad is ideal for lunch, casual dinner, summer entertaining, or a meal built around bold, fresh flavours. Serve the sandwiches shortly after assembly so the bread stays soft, the grilled pork remains warm, and the pickled vegetables retain their crisp texture.

The green papaya salad is a natural pairing because its lime, fish sauce, chillies, peanuts, basil, and crunchy vegetables balance the richness of the pork, pâté, hoisin, and Japanese mayonnaise.

For entertaining, the pork can be marinated and the pickles prepared in advance, leaving only the grilling, salad assembly, and sandwich building for just before serving.

Final Thoughts

This banh mi with papaya salad recipe brings together smoky grilled pork, creamy pâté, sweet hoisin, tangy pickles, spicy jalapeño, fresh cilantro, and soft bread in one flavourful sandwich.

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