Banh Mi Inspired Tacos

BANH MI INSPIRED TACOS😍

In Vietnamese, Banh Mi means bread, and refers to the baguette vessel that holds all the wonderful flavors of a Banh Mi, like Thit Nướng (barbecued meat), pickled carrots and daikon, crisp cucumbers, jalapenos, cilantro, and the OG Maggi seasoning. This recipe takes inspiration from a Banh Mi, but loads it up into a taco for a fun and delicious way to mix up your taco night! 

During the time the French colonized Vietnam, they introduced the traditional baguette and a number of other traditional French ingredients you see in Vietnamese food still today. What I love so much about the Banh Mi is that it’s a beautiful representation of Vietnamese culture and how they took the best of what they had and made it their own. It’s similar to the approach I have to cooking and what I recommend to people who are learning how to cook - take inspiration from others but have fun with it and make it your own! It will make the whole process much more fun for you (except the dishes part, but that’s what my beagle is for ;))

Vietnamese food is probably one of my favorite cuisines to cook. I am lucky enough to have a Vietnamese roommate who I have learned a lot from, as well as one of my favorite chefs, Andrea Nguyen. I have almost all of her cookbooks, but my favorite is Vietnamese Food Any Day, as she turns traditional Vietnamese food into enjoyable weeknight friendly meals you can make in your own kitchen. Highly recommend checking it out here.

Components of this Banh Mi Inspired Taco:

• Pickled daikon and carrots: One of my favorite parts of a Banh Mi because of the crisp tang it lends that pairs so well with the fattiness of the meat. It lasts a good amount of time in your fridge, and pairs nicely with whatever you’re having for dinner

• Fresh herbs - traditionally cilantro

• Cucumbers - I like them cut into matchsticks, but you can slice them as well

• Thit Nướng (barbecued meat) - you can really use whatever protein you would like with this. I went with pork tenderloin that I sliced super thinly and marinated in the same marinade as my Bun Thit Nướng recipe found here.

• Maggi seasoning - an uber savory seasoning that goes directly on the bread, and gives a Banh Mi its unique flavor - do not skip this! You can find it at most Asian grocers or sub for Bragg’s liquid aminos. In order to incorporate this flavor into the taco, I made a quick sriracha, Maggi mayo to drizzle on top.

• Chiles - I used jalapeno because I like the extra spice, but if you are sensitive to spice you can skip this, as you’ll still have the kick from the sriracha in the sauce.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

For the Marinated Pork:

• 1 lb pork tenderloin, sliced thinly on a slight bias

• 1 chopped shallot

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 1 tsp lemongrass paste (optional)

• ¼ cup fish sauce

• 2 tbsps hoisin sauce

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

• Pinch of white pepper

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tsp Maggi seasoning

• 1 tbsp avocado or vegetable oil

For the Banh Mi Inspired Taco:

• 1 Persian cucumber, cut into matchsticks or sliced

• Pickled Vegetables:

• ½ cup rice wine or apple cider vinegar

• ¼ cup hot water

• 1 tbsp sugar

• ½ cup shredded carrots

• ½ cup shredded daikon

• Maggi Sriracha Mayo:

• ¼ cup mayo

• 2 tsps sriracha

• 1 tsp maggi seasoning

• 1 jalapeno, sliced (optional)

• Cilantro

• 4 tortillas (flour or siete foods cassava tortillas preferred)

Directions:

For the Banh Mi Inspired Tacos:

• Start by making your pickled vegetables. Add vinegar, hot water, and sugar to a large mason jar and shake or stir until sugar has dissolved. Add the carrots and daikon to the jar, shake, and let sit in the fridge at least 1 hour.

• Add sliced pork to a bowl with the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, maggi seasoning, white pepper, and vinegar.

• Combine and cover to refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight (30 minutes minimum).

• Remove pork from the fridge 20 minutes before you start cooking to bring it to room temperature.

• Heat your grill or cast iron skillet to high heat and oil the grates with the oil.

• Add meat in a single layer (you may need to cook it in batches). Cook for 4-6 minutes on one side until well charred depending on thickness, then flip and cook 1 minute more. Remove and set aside.

• Mix the mayonnaise, sriracha, and Maggi seasoning in a small bowl and set aside.

• Toast the tortillas for 1-2 minutes in a dry skillet.

• Load up your tacos! Add pork to the tortillas, top with pickled veggies, cucumbers, jalapeno, cilantro, and drizzle with the Maggi sriracha mayo. Enjoy!