Grilled Pork and Pate Banh Mi

Grilled Pork and Pate Banh Mi (Vietnam)

A vibrant, flavor-packed sandwich combining tender, lemongrass-marinated pork, rich homemade liver pâté, and crisp pickled vegetables in a fresh baguette. Sweet, savory, tangy, and slightly spicy, it’s a quintessential Vietnamese street food experience in every bite.

Ingredients:

For the Pate:

• 1/3 lb chicken livers
• 2 white bread slices
• 2 cups (480ml) milk
• 1/3 lb fatty pork belly with no skin, diced
• 1/3 lb ground pork
• 1 large egg
• 2 shallots, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp (14.8ml) butter
• 2 tsp (9.9ml) granulated sugar
• ½ tsp (4.9ml) five spice powder
• 3 tbsp (44.4ml) canola oil
• 1 tsp (4.9ml) ground white pepper
• 1 tsp (4.9ml) salt

 

For the Grilled Pork:

• 1 ½ lbs pork shoulder or loin, sliced into steaks and pounded flat between 2 pieces of parchment
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 stalks lemongrass, hard outside removed and minced
• 2 tbsp (29.6ml) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp (29.6ml) fish sauce
• 2 tbsp (29.6ml) canola oil
• 1 tbsp (14.8ml) dark brown sugar
• ½ tsp (2.5ml) ground black pepper

 

For the Sandwich:

• 2 French baguettes, halved and sliced ½ of the way through the middle
• ½ cup (120ml) mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp (29.6ml) Maggi sauce
• 1/3 cup (80ml) cilantro leaves and delicate stems
• 1 cup (240ml) julienned carrot
• 1 cup (240ml) julienned daikon
• 1 cup (240ml) rice vinegar
• 2 jalapenos, sliced into rounds

 

Method:

Make the Pate:

Add the liver and 1 cup milk to a small bowl and the bread and remaining 1 cup milk to another small bowl and allow them to soak for 30 minutes.

Heat 2 tbsp of canola oil in a skillet over high heat. Remove the liver from the milk and allow the excess to drip off. Add the liver to the pan and sear for 2 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the liver from the pan and set aside.

Add 1 tbsp canola oil to the pan along with the butter, garlic, and onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add in the pork belly and ground pork and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the salt, five spice powder, sugar, and white pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Take the pan off the heat and allow the mixture to cool a little before continuing.

Add the cooked pork mix, liver, bread soaking in milk, and egg to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Butter the inside of a small loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Add the blended pate mixture to the loaf pan and seal the top with aluminum foil.

Bring water to a simmer in a large pot with a steamer basket. Add the loaf pan to the steamer basket, cover, and steam for 45 minutes.

Let the pate cool down to room temperature, then put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

 

Make the Grilled Pork:

Add the garlic, lemongrass, soy sauce, fish sauce, canola oil, dark brown sugar, and ground black pepper to a food processor and pulse to combine the marinade.

Add the pork and marinade to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Heat a grill or grill pan on high heat. Transfer the pork from the marinade and grill for about 2 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Take the pork off the grill and chop it into long pieces.

 

Make the Sandwich:

Combine the carrot, daikon, and rice vinegar and let sit for at least 1 hour. Drain.

Mix together the mayonnaise and Maggi sauce.