Banh Mi Recipe with a Twist from Luna Housman

Loaded Banh Mi for Breakfast: Recipe with a Twist!

We connected with travel and food creator Luna Housman from Teaspoon of Yum, who shared her experience exploring Seattle Southside. Inspired by one of her visits to a local restaurant and a trip to Lam's Seafood, she ran home to create one of her favorite bready comfort foods with a twist--read on as she shares her favorite recipe for Breakfast Banh Mi!

Banh mi is one of my favorite types of sandwiches. I was so inspired by my microadventure on the Bubble Tea Trail that I had to make my own banh mi at home! Whenever I do a takeout order on the weekends from my local Vietnamese market, I always take my bahn mi home and fry an egg to top it off! It’s a perfect meal any time, but I like to call it my “Breakfast Bahn Mi”.

While I was out exploring in Seattle Southside, I decided to make my from-scratch version at home, so I grabbed all the ingredients I needed at the Tukwila location of Lam’s Seafood Market.

For the bread, you can always find banh mi baguettes at Vietnamese markets, if you can’t find it, here are some great alternatives: French baguettes, Italian loaves, or even hoagies work well.

Let’s talk about fillings!

A few tips on fillings:

Vietnamese pork roll (cha lua) is one of my favorite additions to banh mi. Cha lua is pork that’s been pounded to a paste, seasoned with garlic, pepper and fish sauce then steamed. When you find it at the market, it comes whole, and if made locally, it’ll come wrapped in a banana leaf. Slice it for whenever you want to eat it; just like deli meat, add to banh mi or vermicelli noodle salad. It’s such a tasty protein to add to the sandwich!

I love paté in my banh mi which is a common spread to add to any cold-cut style banh mi like the special combo (dac biet) that you can find at many Vietnamese cafes and restaurants. Because making homemade paté can be intimidating, it’s easy to find the Flower brand at the Asian markets and can either be made with chicken or pork liver. When paté is added to the sandwich, it gives a rich and creamy, yet mild flavor that I love in a banh mi.

Now the cheese! Specifically Laughing Cow cheese is an ingredient I first experienced in Vietnamese cuisine at a popular local cafe, Hello Em, where they have a panini-style, pressed hot dog banh mi with Laughing Cow cheese… let me tell you, my mind was blown - it just added that extra savory flavor that only cheese can give! I’ve also enjoyed it at other Vietnamese restaurants in dishes like bò né, a sizzling steak and eggs dish that’s also served with paté and a baguette! Yum!

For extra umami, adding a few dashes of Maggi Seasoning makes the banh mi extra tasty - it is especially great to add on eggs (try it on fried eggs over rice - sooo good!). Much like soy sauce, it’s a flavor enhancer that if not added, you’d be wondering if there was something missing. Nowadays, Maggi Seasoning can be found at major grocery stores and is a great pantry staple!

Lastly, the fresh vegetables! Texture is everything when it comes to banh mi - the cucumber, jalapeño, cilantro and pickled daikon & carrots - they all provide a different purpose and yet they work together to help cut the richness and savoriness of the banh mi. The pickled vegetables are one of my favorite ingredients because of the slight sweet and tart flavors; it brightens up the sandwich and it’s easily found in the refrigerated section or deli counter at the Vietnamese market.

Here’s how I make my version!

Easy "Breakfast" Bahn Mi Recipe

Ingredients:

2 banh mi loaves
2 eggs, scrambled cooked in 1 tbsp butter
1/2 Vietnamese pork roll (cha lua), sliced
Ready-made pickled daikon and carrot
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 jalapeño, sliced
Few sprigs cilantro
2 wedges Laughing Cow cheese
2 oz of canned paté
2 tbsps softened butter
Maggi Seasoning
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. First mix the paté and softened butter together, thinly slice the jalapeño, cucumber, and pork roll, and scramble the egg.

2. Next, warm up the banh mi loaves in the oven at 350F for about 5-7 minutes until it gets a nice crust and it’s warmed through.

3. Meanwhile, cook the eggs in 2 tbsp butter and season with a dash of salt and pepper.

4. Slice up the loaves and evenly distribute the ingredients: spread on the paté and cheese, add in the sliced pork roll and scrambled eggs, sprinkle a few dashes of Maggi Seasoning, then top with the cucumber, jalapeño, cilantro, and pickled daikon and carrot.

5. Enjoy!

Luna Housman

Author

Luna Housman

Food and Travel Content Creator

Luna is a home chef and recipe developer who loves to cook what she craves and travel for food! Follow all her travel and food adventures on Instagram.

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