Beef Banh Mi

This Beef Bánh Mì recipe is a fusion dish that combines the flavors of bánh mì and bun cha hanoi turned burger! It features a juicy seasoned beef patty topped with pickled vegetables, ribboned cucumbers, fresh cilantro and a drizzle of mayo, for a tangy and fresh sandwich!

What is beef banh mi?

My beef banh mi creation is a combination of bun cha hanoi and banh mi. Bun cha hanoi is a dish that features ground pork patties served with rice noodles and pickled vegetables. Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich that is made with meat, pickled vegetables, and fresh herbs, served on a baguette.

For a perfect combination of the two, I made this beef banh mi burger that has the flavors of both bun cha and banh mi in one delectable burger recipe!

Ingredients

Here is what you will need for this banh mi turned beef brisket burger:

For the Burger Patties

• Shallot & Garlic: The combination of shallots and garlic start the process of building lots of flavor!
• Ground Beef: I like to use ground beef or ground brisket here. You can use ground pork, ground chicken or turkey if you prefer!
• Fish Sauce & Oyster Sauce: Fish and oyster sauce season the beef to perfection and add just the right amount of umami flavor! I love using Red Boat Fish Sauce, because the flavor is pure, potent, and only has 2 ingredients!
• Brown Sugar: This helps balance out all the salty savory umami flavors.
• Black Pepper: To taste. No need to add salt here since the fish and oyster sauce have salt in them!
• Cucumber: Use a peeler to make ribbon shaped pieces of cucumber to add on top of the burger.
• Cilantro: Freshly chopped cilantro is a must! It brings a bite of freshness to the flavor.
• Burger Buns: Use your preferred burger buns. I recommend a brioche bun for a slightly sweet but fluffy texture.
• Mayo: To top it all off! For a kick, make a sriracha mayonnaise by adding a little squeeze of sriracha. 

For the Quick Pickles

• Carrot: Cut into thin slices using a mandoline.
• Daikon Radish: Also thinly sliced, using a mandoline.
• Salt: The salt will be used to extract the liquid from the veggies, but also helps to season them. The salt helps us to make these pickles, truly quick pickles.
• Boiling Water: Boiling water will help the salt and sugar dissolve as well as soften the pickled veggies.
• White Vinegar: The vinegar does the actual pickling magic and gives the pickles that acidic tang.
• Sugar: Vietnamese pickles are naturally sweeter than American-style pickles, so the sugar helps give us that natural Vietnamese-pickle taste. It also helps to balance out the sharp flavor of the vinegar.

How to Make Beef Banh Mi

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: In a bowl, add your minced shallot, minced garlic, ground beef, Red Boat fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and black pepper. Mix well until combined and allow to marinate for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Form you ground beef mixture into equal-sized patties.

Step 3: Into a hot pan, add neutral oil. Working in batches add your patties and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Remove from the pan and allow to rest.

Step 4: In a sieve over a bowl, add your sliced carrots and daikon radish. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 10 minutes until water is released and you can bend the carrots and daikon radish without it snapping.

Step 5: Rinse your carrots and daikon radish under cold water to remove any salt. Squeeze them to remove excess water.

Step 6: In a heat-proof bowl, add your boiling water, 1 teaspoon of salt, white vinegar, and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add your carrots and daikon radish and allow to pickle for 30 minutes.

Step 7: Last, assemble the sandwiches. To assemble, add the mayonnaise, cilantro, burger patty, ribboned cucumber, and quick pickles to a bun. Serve and enjoy immediately!

Pro Tip: Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the beef is done to your liking! For a well-done burger, it should be cooked to 160 degrees F.

Substitutions & Variations

• Meat - Instead of using ground beef, you can use ground chicken or ground turkey! Or, for a richer hamburger patty, you can use ground brisket.
• Bun - Use gluten free buns instead of white bread buns to make this Asian burger recipe gluten-free!
• Quick Pickled Vegetables - Carrots and daikon radishes are a must, but if you HAVE to substitute, use a sweet pickle like bread and butter pickles. You can also add pickled onions or even jalapeños for a spicy kick!
• Herbs - I always top my beef banh mi with cilantro, but other fresh herbs like mint would work!

Top Tips

• Don't skip pickling the veggies! For real, they are essential to the flavor in this beef banh mi recipe, and it won't be the same without them!
• Toast the bread! This is just a little tip to make things extra tasty. Toast the buns in the same pan used to cook the burgers! They will soak up a little bit of the grease and be nice and warm.
• For a little extra spice, stir in some sriracha into the mayonnaise for a spicy sriracha mayo!

Equipment

The great news about this Vietnamese sandwich recipe is that you only need a few common kitchen items to make them! Here is all the equipment you will need:

• Peeler
• Mandoline
• Cast Iron Pan or other heavy-bottomed pan
• Small Bowl - heat proof!
• Meat Thermometer - optional.

Storage

Store the toppings, like pickled vegetables and cucumber ribbons, separately from the buns and beef patties in the fridge. Assemble when ready. They will both stay good in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Generally, the pickled carrots and radishes can stay in the fridge for about 1-2 weeks!

Frequently Asked Questions

More Recipes to Try

Looking for other recipes? Try these:

Print Recipe

Beef Banh Mi

This Beef Bánh Mì recipe is a fusion dish that combines the flavors of a bánh mì and bun cha hanoi turned burger! It features a juicy seasoned beef patty topped with pickled vegetables, cucumber ribbons, fresh cilantro and a drizzle of mayo, for a tangy and fresh sandwich!

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Burger patties

• 1 shallot minced
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 3 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cucumber ribboned
• 1 small bunch cilantro

Quick pickles

• 1 large carrot thinly sliced
• 1 small daikon radish thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt plus extra for sprinkling on carrots and daikon radish
• 1 cup boiling water
• ⅓ cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup sugar

For assembling

• Burger buns
• Mayonnaise as desired

Instructions

To make the burger patties

• In a bowl, add your minced shallot, minced garlic, ground beef, Red Boat Fish Sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and black pepper. Mix until combined. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes.
• Form your ground beef mixture into equal-sized patties.
• In a hot pan, add neutral oil. Working in batches, add your patties and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness.
• Remove from pan and allow to rest.

To make the quick pickles

• In a sieve over a bowl, add your sliced carrots and daikon radish. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 10 minutes until water is released and you can bend the carrots or daikon radish without it snapping.
• Rinse your carrots and daikon radish under cold water to remove any salt. Squeeze them to remove excess water.
• In a heat-proof bowl, add your boiling water, 1 teaspoon of salt, white vinegar, and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add your carrots and daikon radish and allow to pickle for 30 minutes.

To assemble

• On a bun, add your mayonnaise, cilantro, burger patty, ribboned cucumber, and quick pickles. Enjoy immediately