Vietnamese Banh Mi Bites

What are Vietnamese banh mi?

Should we even explain this? Sure, why not? Most of us know what banh mi are and what they taste like. But the history of this awesome sandwich might still be unknown to some. Basically, colonization of Vietnamese under French rule brought the French baguette bread to Vietnamese cuisine. Over time, the Vietnamese adapted the baguette to using the flour they have most on hand, rice flour. This light type of flour resulted in a style of baguette that is softer, lighter and more tender on the inside when compared to traditional French baguettes. Adding the savory elements of Vietnamese fillings, pickles and herbs, the banh mi is born. In a nutshell, that’s the super basic explanation of a banh mi. Here’s a great article about history of banh mi. Moving on!

We created Banh Mi Bites for Parties

Way back then, when we were having dinner parties often, it was always a default dish to have crostini or bruschetta. They’re simple and delicious but pretty common. We loved banh mi and started serving smaller banh mi sandwiches. But everyone got so full, so quick off the small banh mi. Then we thought about making banh mi as an appetizer, but crostini or bruschetta style! Thus, the bites were born and we topped each slice of Viet baguette with all the same toppings you would find in the sandwich. This time, the serving was smaller and made into a bite, rather than a big filling sandwich.

What meat filling to use for Vietnamese Banh Mi Bites?

You can use what ever Vietnamese inspired meat that you like. Stopping by the Viet store to get some pork loaves (cha lua) or grilled pork are great.

• Asian Pulled Pork : We usually use our go-to, easy and super flavorful Asian pulled pork. We have 3 methods of making this tender and juicy pork: Oven Pulled Pork , Slow cooker Asian Pulled Pork and a spicy sriracha oven pulled pork.
• If you want to try a grilled chicken banh mi bite, try our Vietnamese grilled chicken
• Braised Vietnamese pork belly is great if you shred it or cut into small thin slices
• Our Vietnamese grilled pork steaks are great as a banh mi bite.

Vietnamese Pickles and Other Toppings

• Plan ahead and make the banh mi pickles. Here’s our recipe for Vietnamese carrot and daikon pickles.
• You can make a quick pickle by soaking the thin slices of carrot and daikon in some vinegar and sprinkle of sugar for about 1 hour before serving.
• If you are near a Vietnamese grocery store, they will often sell these pickles. Grab a container and you’re set.
• Thin slices of cucumber always add a nice crunch
• Traditionally pate is always added and a little swipe is always more flavorful. But if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it if you’re making one of our Vietnamese meat recipes. These meats are so flavorful and you won’t miss the pate.
• Hot sauce or a few slices of fresh chiles add that nice layer of spice. A kick of spicy heat makes eat bite more exciting. Here’s our recipe for chili garlic hot sauce, homemade sriracha, creamy sriracha mayo and chili oil crisp

Tips for Making Banh Mi Bites

• Your baguette should be fresh and crusty. If you happen to be near a Vietnamese bakery, get yourself a nice fresh loaf. But any baguette will work for this because the slices of bread are easy to eat.
• Prep ahead: What makes assembly easy for party day is by having all your ingredients prepped. Even if you cook the meat ahead of time and just re-heating it day of serving is a big time saver. What you really only need to do day-of serving is to slice the baguette. Don’t slice it ahead of time because it can dry out and get hard.
• Banh Mi Bite Bar idea: instead of assembling each bite, you can lay out all the ingredients and let your guests assemble their own bites.
• All Vietnamese banh mi bite recipe details are in the recipe box below.

Vegetarian Ideas for Banh Mi Bites

Vegan and plant based options are always great for your guests (or for yourself) who don’t eat meat. You can stir fry some shredded veggies, cook crumbled tofu or even a swipe of hummus is great. Another vegetarian version we used to make was roasting chopped butternut squash with some soy sauce and sesame oil. The flavors of the squash are great!

Easy Recipes:

• Check out all our Easy Vietnamese Recipes here
• Spring Roll Bites
• Air Fryer Steak Bites with mushrooms
• beet greens crostini