Beef Tapa Banh Mi

What is Banh Mi?

From Wikipedia:

Bánh mì or banh mi refers to a kind of sandwich that consists of a Vietnamese single-serving baguette. This baguette is also called banh mi in Vietnamese. Split lengthwise, various savory ingredients fill the baguette.

A typical Vietnamese sandwich is a fusion of meats and vegetables from native Vietnamese cuisine such as chả lụa (pork sausage), coriander, cucumber, and pickled carrots and daikon combined with condiments from French cuisine such as pâté along with jalapeño and mayonnaise.  However, there is a wide variety of popular fillings, from xíu mại to ice cream. In Vietnam, sandwiches are typically eaten for breakfast or as a snack; they are considered too dry for lunch or dinner.

The baguette was introduced to Vietnam in the mid–19th century, when Vietnam was part of French Indochina, and became a staple food by the early 20th century. During the 1950s, a distinctly Vietnamese sandwich developed in Saigon, becoming a popular street food. Following the Vietnam War, overseas Vietnamese popularized the banh mi sandwich in countries like the United States.

Banh Mi in Vietnam

In Vietnamese, the word banh mi is derived from bánh (which can refer to many kinds of food, including bread) and mì (wheat). It may also be spelled bánh mỳ in northern Vietnam. Taken alone, banh mi means “bread” but is understood to be the Vietnamese baguette. Via synecdoche, it may also refer to a sandwich, with the term banh mi kẹp being used to disambiguate. In particular, banh mi often refers to the sandwiches made on Vietnamese baguettes, which may be called bánh mì Sài Gòn, after the city in which they were popularized. However, even in Vietnam, “a bánh mì for breakfast” implies a meat-filled sandwich for breakfast, not just bread.

A folk etymology claims that the word bánh mì is a corruption of the French pain de mie, meaning soft, white bread.  However, bánh or its Nôm form 餅 has referred to rice cakes and other pastries since as early as the 13th century, centuries before French contact.

This banh mi sandwich recipe is a little bit different from the traditional banh mi recipe as we are going to use beef tapa as our meat.  Think this way, Vietnamese cuisine in fusion with Filipino cuisine. Beef tapa is often served tapsilog style (tapa, fried rice and fried egg).  This recipe shows us a different way to serve beef tapa.  We need to cook the beef tapa in advance prior to preparing this sandwich.  Check out the beef tapa recipe HERE.

Ingredients:

• 500 grams cooked beef tapa (recipe is HERE)
• Baguette (or any similar bread)
• Pickles
• Soy Dressing

Pickles Ingredients:

• 1 pc small Carrot, finely julienned
• 1 pc small White Radish, finely julienned
• 8 tbsp White Sugar
• 1 cup Cane Vinegar
• 1 pc Red Chili, chopped

Soy Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 small Red Onions, sliced
• 1 pc Bird’s Eye Chili (to taste, chopped)
• 3 tbsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning
• 1 cup Lady’s Choice Real Mayonnaise

Instructions:

1.  Cook the beef tapa as in the recipe found HERE.

2.  Prepare the pickles:

• In a bowl, mix the cane vinegar, white sugar, and red chili until the sugar is dissolved
• Add the carrots and radish
• Chill for an hour or more

3.  Prepare the soy dressing:

• Combine mayonnaise, liquid seasoning, onions, bird’s eye chili, and garlic in a mixing bowl
• Chill for at least an hour

4.  Assemble the sandwich:

• Slice the bread in the middle, lengthwise
• Lightly-toast the bread
• Line the insides of the toasted bread with soy dressing
• Add and distribute evenly the cooked beef tapa
• Top the tapa with the pickles

5.  Serve with potato chips

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Beef Tapa Banh Mi

This banh mi sandwich recipe is a little bit different from the traditional banh mi recipe as we are going to use beef tapa as our meat. Think this way, Vietnamese cuisine in fusion with Filipino cuisine. Beef tapa is often served tapsilog style (tapa, fried rice and fried egg). This recipe shows us a different way to serve beef tapa. We need to cook the beef tapa in advance prior to preparing this sandwich.

Ingredients

• 500 grams cooked beef tapa
• Baguette or any similar bread
• Pickles
• Soy Dressing

Pickles

• 1 pc Carrot small, finely julienned
• 1 pc White Radish small, finely julienned
• 1 cup Cane Vinegar
• 8 tbsp White Sugar
• 1 pc Red Chili chopped

Soy Dressing

• 2 pcs Red Onions small, sliced
• 1 pc Bird’s Eye Chili to taste, chopped
• 3 tbsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning
• 1 cup Lady’s Choice Real Mayonnaise

Instructions

Cook the beef tapa.

Prepare the pickles:

• In a bowl, mix the cane vinegar, white sugar, and red chili until the sugar is dissolved
• Add the carrots and radish
• Chill for an hour or more

Prepare the soy dressing:

• Combine mayonnaise, liquid seasoning, onions, bird’s eye chili, and garlic in a mixing bowl
• Chill for at least an hour

Assemble the sandwich:

• Slice the bread in the middle, lengthwise
• Lightly-toast the bread
• Line the insides of the toasted bread with soy dressing
• Add and distribute evenly the cooked beef tapa
• Top the tapa with the pickles

Serve with potato chips

Other recipes may be found HERE