Vietnamese Banh mi bowl

Banh mi bowl is a wonderfully fresh and filling meal at the same time. The bowls are colorful, flavorful and bursting with vegetables. What really elevates each banh mi bowl to new heights, however, are undoubtedly the three most important elements: the pickled vegetables, the mayo and the marinated pork. Together with noodles and lots of crispy greens, it tastes simply magical. 

TIP: Also try our best wok with noodles and vegetables or delicious banh xeo pancakes

Marinated neck fillet for banh mi

The meat used in this banh mi bowl is neck fillet. The pork is cut into very thin strips that are marinated before being grilled or fried at high heat on a (grill) pan. This gives the most flavorful, juicy and tender meat, out of a cut that many people probably most often use for pulled pork or as a roast. It is important that you let the pork marinate for at least 4 hours - although it is very good for up to 24 hours, so that it has time to absorb lots of the good flavor. The neck fillet can be grilled, but it can also be cooked in a regular pan. The grilled flavor is always good, so if you have the opportunity, it is clearly preferable.

Neck fillet as a guest dish

A neck fillet typically weighs around 1-2 kg. If you choose organic, it is often closer to 1 kg, but here there is still food for 10 people. So it is a really easy and budget-friendly food for a lot of people, and a perfect party meal, because everything is so easy to prepare in advance. Depending on how meat-loving your party is, you can calculate 100-200 grams of neck fillet per person.

Sriracha mayo for banh mi

This bahn mi bowl is served with a creamy and spicy sriracha mayo. It's super easy to whip up, and you can easily adjust the strength by turning up or down the amount of sriracha. The most important thing is that you choose a good mayonnaise. Not the chalky white stuff from a tube, but a real mayonnaise from a jar - or of course a homemade version, if you have the extra money for it.

Vietnamese pickled vegetables

A must when making banh mi are pickled vegetables. Carrots and Chinese radishes are often used, which in this recipe have been replaced with regular radishes. Both because they are much easier to get your hands on, but also because they decorate the bowl. The pickled vegetables should ideally sit for an hour before serving. But you can also easily make them several days in advance, for example, if you want to save time just before guests arrive. 

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