Crispy Pork Belly Bahn Mi – Welcome to the world of Vietnam street food!
Golden, crackling and succulent pork belly is layered with textures and flavours, all tucked into a crusty baguette. The beauty lies not just in its crispy exterior but in the textural filling of fresh herbs, crunchy pickled vegetables, and a luscious spread of creamy mayonnaise. They are the ultimate hunger fix!
About crispy pork belly bahn mi
Banh Mi is like the superhero of sandwiches, born in Vietnam but loved worldwide.
A typical authentic Bahn Mi is a crispy baguette or roll filled with pate, processed meat slices, a form of protein, loads of fresh herbs and then topped with some pickled vegetables to balance it out.
My Crispy Pork Belly Bahn Mi is definitely not what you would call authentic but I would say, equally as good. My family and I don’t really go much on pate or processed meat slices so we choose to leave them off. We much prefer to load it up with crispy pork, poached chicken or other grilled meats.
My family and I love Bahn Mi so much that we have spent whole Sunday’s driving around Sydney on the hunt for the best Bahn Mi. We would share them between us so we could fit as many in as possible 😆 Cabramatta definitely have the best ones and Maroubra came a close second. Sometimes though, that is just a little too far to drive to get a Bahn Mi fix. That’s why we resort to making our own.
Amazing array of fresh herbs available at Cabramatta any day of the week
Tips
- PREPARE IN ADVANCE:
- The recipe may seem a bit daunting as there is a few elements going on, but really they are simple to make. You just need to set aside some time to do your prep work. There is lots you can make in advance or even, if you are like me, have these things in your fridge on a standard rotation. It makes it much quicker to whip up when you get a ‘Bahn Mi’ craving.
- DOUBLE OR TRIPLE THE RECIPE TO FEED A CROWD:
- These are a great easy dinner idea when feeding a crowd. This recipe can be easily doubled, tripled or quadrupled. It makes for easy serving as you can have it all ready beforehand in bowls or plates then just lay it all out on the table and everyone can make their own. Super easy!
- USE ANOTHER CHOICE OF PROTEIN IF DESIRED:
- Although this recipe is for crispy pork belly, you don’t have to use pork. You can use leftover roast chicken, ready made meatballs or even satay or other flavoured bought kebab sticks. Anything goes on this roll.
- MARINATE THE MEAT FOR EXTRA FLAVOUR:
- I make a quick marinade for the pork meat but you don’t have to, just go a-la-natural if you prefer.
- USE AN AIR-FRYER OR OVEN TO BAKE THE PORK:
- There are options for cooking the pork in an air-fryer or the oven. I tend to use the air-fryer as I find it gives a better result and so much easier to clean up. I would rather clean the air-fryer then the oven any day.
Tip for the best crackle!
- DRY THE PORK RIND IN THE FRIDGE:
- The secret to a good ‘crackle’ on your pork is that you MUST dry it out in the fridge. Any times helps but I like to do it for at least 24 hours but up to 48 hours or longer. The dry air inside your refrigerator will remove the excess moisture in the pork rind making it crackle up perfectly.
Crispy Pork Belly Bahn Mi
These famously popular rolls are just that for a reason! The are fresh, vibrant and have loads of flavour and texture. Crunchy Vietnamese long rolls are filled with crispy marinated pork belly, pickled carrots, spring onion oil, herbs, cucumber, chilli, Kewpie mayonnaise and seasoning sauce!
Equipment
- Air Fryer (optional)
Ingredients
CRIPSY PORK BELLY
- 1kg pork belly
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
QUICK PICKLED CARROTS
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup hot water
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 carrots, julienned or cut into thin matchsticks
SPRING ONION OIL (OPTIONAL)
- 1 cup finely sliced spring/green onions, (for me this was 3 large spring onions)
- 1-2cm ginger, finely diced (optional)
- ½ teaspoon caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ cup neutral flavoured oil, such as vegetable, rice bran, canola etc (do not use olive oil)
TO SERVE
- 6 Vietnamese long rolls
- Butter to spread
- Kewpie mayonnaise – about 1 tablespoon per person
- Maggi seasoning, to sprinkle over
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced lengthways
- 2 Spring/green onions, cut into 15cm lengths and then halved lengthways (optional)
- 1-2 long red chillies, thinly sliced
- ½ coriander, picked into long sprigs
- ½ fresh mint leaves, leaves picked (can also use Vietnamese mint)
Instructions
PORK BELLY
- Place pork on a clean chopping board and using paper towel, wipe the skin well to remove all excess moisture. Using a very sharp knife or stanley knife, score the skin at 1cm intervels without cutting through to the meat. This will give the pork a "hassleback" appearance and also make it easier to slice when cooked for the rolls.
- Turn the pork over so flesh side is facing up. Using your knife again, make slits at 2cm intervals over the flesh about 2mm deep. Sprinkle evenly with the pepper and Chinese five spice. Top with garlic and rub over flesh evenly making sure to get into the slits you made. It will make a "paste" of sorts with the spices. Sprinkle with the fish sauce and pat in lightly with your hands. Turn pork over and transfer to a clean plate and place pork skin side up. Place into the fridge, without covering, for at least 6 hours but up to 24 hours. They longer the better. The fridge air will help to dry out the pork skin and remove excess moisture. This also makes for better crackling.
TO AIR FRY PORK BELLY
- Preheat your air fryer to 200℃ for 5 minutes. While its preheating, drizzle the pork skin with a little oil and then top with 2 teaspoons salt, rubbing in well to get into all the cuts you made. Place pork into the air-fryer, skin side up and cook for 40 minutes.
- Check the pork and if the skin has crackled, reduce temperature to 160℃ and cook for a further 20-30 minutes or until pork has cooked through. Internal temp of pork should be at least 71℃ when checked with a temperature probe. If it hasn't quite crackled, continue to cook at 200℃ until it has, then reduce heat to 160℃ and cook until pork reaches 71℃ internal temp. Remove from air-fryer, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes before cutting into slices. The pork will continue to cook and should reach 75℃ by the time you slice it.
TO OVEN BAKE PORK BELLY
- Preheat oven to 240℃. Place pork, skin side up, on a wire rack and place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the skin crackles and is golden brown. (may happen sooner). Reduce oven temp to 180℃ and continue baking for a further 20 minutes or until pork is cooked through and the internal temperature of pork reaches 71℃. Remove, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes before cutting into slices. The pork will continue to cook and should reach 75℃ by the time you slice it.
QUICK PICKLED CARROTS
- Combine vinegar, hot water, sugar and salt in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add carrots and massage through them through the mixture. Set aside for at least 15 minutes. Can be used straight away or refrigerated until required.
SPRING ONION OIL
- Place spring/green onions, ginger (if using), sugar, salt and pepper into a small heatproof bowl and mix to combine.
- Heat oil in a small saucepan or frying pan over high heat until smoking. Carefully pour the hot oil over the spring onion mixture. It will spit and bubble so be careful. Set aside and let cool. Serve at room temperature.
TO SERVE
- Preheat oven to 150℃ . Place rolls directly on to your oven rack and bake in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until warm.. (This step is optional but I like my rolls on the warm side). Remove rolls and slice in half open, being careful not to cut all the way through.
- Spread each roll with butter and drizzle with Kewpie. Sprinkle about 1-2 teaspoons of Maggi Seasoning over the cut sides of each roll.
- Top with cucumber slices, spring/green onions, pickled carrots and Crispy Roast Pork Slices. Top with a spoonful of Spring Onion Oil (if using), coriander, mint and chilli. Serve immediately.
Notes
- COOKS NOTES:
Oven Temps: Oven temperatures are for conventional, if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.
Measurements: We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml & 1 cup = 250 ml.
Herbs: All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
Vegetables: All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
Eggs: We use extra-large size and eggs are 55-60 g each, unless specified.
You may also like
- Chilli Garlic Crisp Oil
- Easy Lemon, Thyme & Spice Roast Chicken – don’t like pork? make this amazing roast chicken instead and use the meat to fill your rolls with!
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