pork meatball banh mi

this sandwich is so dang good and it hits all the happy notes that my mouth looks for in a well made dish- sweet (sugar), salty (fish sauce.mmm...umami!), spicy (rooster sauce and jalapenos), tangy (vinegar soaked carrots), fresh (cilantro and basil) and creamy (hot chili mayo).

this is definitely going on the menu for next week. just putting this post up is making my mouth water (for reals) remembering how delicious it was.

if you arent a fan of ground pork, i'm pretty sure that ground turkey or even ground chicken would work really well here.

this could be made into a tasty salad by eating the meatballs on greens with lots of fresh cilantro, basil, jalapenos, those yummy pickled carrots and by using the juice from the vinegary carrots as the dressing. remove the carrots from the vinegar and add some olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe a dollop of honey and maybe some freshly squeezed lime juice.

stop wasting time! 

you must make it. eat it. love it.

you can thank me later.

pork meatball banh mi   

recipe via epicurious

hot chili mayo:

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)*

meatballs:

• 1 pound rancho llano seco ground pork
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)*
• 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

sandwiches:

• 2 cups coarsely grated carrots
• 2 cups coarsely grated peeled daikon (japanese white radish)**
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
• 4 soft french rolls
• thinly sliced jalapeño chiles
• 16 large fresh cilantro sprigs

hot chili mayo:
stir all ingredients in small bowl. season with salt. do ahead can be made 1 day ahead. cover and chill. 

meatballs:
line rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. using moistened hands and scant tablespoonful for each, roll meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs. arrange on baking sheet or large plate. cover and chill. 

sandwiches:
toss first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. let stand at room temperature 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. add half of meatballs. sauté until brown and cooked through, turning meatballs often and lowering heat if browning too quickly, about 15 minutes. 

cut each roll horizontally in half. spread hot chili mayo over each bread shell. arrange jalapeños, then cilantro and some torn basil leaves in bottom halves. fill each with 1/4 of meatballs. drain pickled vegetables; place atop meatballs and dig in!