Description

This recipe was produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service, thanks to the support of the Mushroom Council.

A banh mi is Vietnam’s version of a baguette sandwich, and is beloved the world over. In this plant-forward version of the recipe, the sandwich is filled with a Southeast Asian-inspired mushroom coconut pâte, roasted mushrooms, pickled vegetables and herbs. The meaty sweet and spicy roasted mushrooms, savory mushroom pâte, tangy crunchy pickled vegetables, and refreshing aromatic herbs make this incredibly flavorful sandwich one of the best the world has to offer!

Ingredients

Scale

Pickled Vegetables

2 oz. Red onion, very thinly sliced
3 oz. Carrot, julienne
3 oz. Daikon, julienne
1 tsp. Salt
4 oz. White vinegar
4 oz. Water
3 tbsp. Sugar

Mushroom Pâte

1 tbsp. Vegetable oil
8 oz. Cremini and/or portabella mushrooms, roughly chopped 8 oz.
1 oz. Shallot, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. Ginger, roughly chopped
2 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup Coconut milk
1 tbsp. Fish sauce (or soy sauce) .
1 tsp. White pepper

Mushroom Glaze

2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
½ ea Shallot, finely minced
1 tbsp. Ginger, finely minced
1 tbsp. Lemongrass, finely minced
¼ ea Thai bird eye chili, split
¼ cup Palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tbsp. Soy sauce
2 tbsp Water .
1 tbsp. Sesame oil
1 tbsp. Lime juice
Fish sauce (optional) to taste

Roasted Mushrooms

8 oz. King trumpet mushrooms
8 oz. Maitake mushrooms
Vegetable oil spray as needed

Assembly Ingredients

6 ea. Banh Mi buns, or baguette
6 tbsp. Mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise)
½ cup Mint leaves
½ cup Cilantro leaves
1 ea. Jalapeño, thinly sliced
½ ea. Cucumber, thinly sliced

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Instructions

For the pickled vegetables: Place the red onion, carrots, daikon in a colander. Massage the salt into the vegetables and set over a bowl to drain. Leave for 15 minutes. Bring the vinegar, water and sugar to a boil.
Squeeze any excess liquid out of the vegetables and transfer to a bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Set aside for 1 hour. This can be made several days to a week in advance.
For the mushroom pâte: In a non-stick pan, heat the vegetable oil. Add the mushrooms and saute until they are a deep brown color. Add the shallots, ginger, and garlic, and continue to cook until aromatic.
Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Over high heat, boil until the liquid has reduced by half and the mushrooms are coated in a thick creamy gravy. Season to taste with fish sauce (or soy sauce) and white pepper.
Puree the mushroom coconut mixture until smooth. Cool to room temperature, cover with plastic, and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the mushroom glaze: Place all ingredients for the glaze in a small pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.
For the roasted mushrooms: Heat the oven to 425℉, with the fan on high. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with vegetable oil.
Slice the king trumpet mushrooms lengthwise and tear the maitake into chunks. Place on the sheet pan and spray the mushrooms with oil.
Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush liberally with the glaze. Return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes, brushing several times with the glaze until the mushrooms are tender and the sauce is nicely caramelized.
To assemble the Banh Mi: Place the Banh Mi buns in a hot oven for 4- 5 minutes to crisp.
Split the buns and spread the mushroom pate on one side of the bun, and mayonnaise on the other side.
Stuff with the roasted mushrooms, pickled vegetables, herbs, jalepeño slices and cucumber. Serve immediately.