Indian-style Banh Mi

I feel like I’m on a Vietnamese roll right now. I’ve been diving deep into the food from Vietnam since I’ve always been a big fan but always had to make most of it at home since most of the menus in NJ did have many vegetarian options. But when I moved to SF I found more vegetarian options on menus and banh mi quickly became one of my monthly cravings. Banh mi is a great example of a food that was decolonized by the colonized people.

The French brought baguettes to Vietnam and when the French left French Indochina, the Vietnamese people took French ingredients like baguettes and pate and made it theirs by using them in their own local cuisine. (Similar to how nankhatai, chai and cake rusks became so entirely Indian). In this Indian-style banh mi I use char siu marinated paneer as my protein and a gajar and daikon nu athanu (carrot and daikon mustard pickle) as my pickled veggies.

A good banh mi is supposed to be sweet, spicy, and tangy. For the sweet part, I used a char-siu-inspired marinade adapted from Andrea Nguyen’s Munchies recipe. I added garam masala and more aromatics to it to give it that “desi tadka”. I LOVED this marinade and plan on using it on everything!

For the spicy part I used Sriracha and you can also add sliced jalapenos. My husband and Elara can’t handle jalapeno heat so we left them out, but if you like hte fire, I say go for it! 

For the salty, tangy part typical Vietnamese banh mi’s use vinegar-based carrot and daikon pickle. Instead, I made a traditional Gujarati Gajar nu Athanu (pickle) using oil, salt, lime juice, and strips of carrot and daikon. It as a little bit of heat from the split mustard seeds (similar to a horseradish flavor) and tang from the limes and salt. 

Some of the key elements of a banh mi that I kept were the mayo (you can use butter if you don’t eat eggs), Sri reach, cilantro, and roll. I loved how this sandwich turned out, it’s super easy to make. Just make the pickled carrots and daikon and marinate the paneer in the mornings and by the evening you’ll be ready to go. It only takes 15 minutes to put together the sandwiches so it is super quick and easy. 

If you decide to make my Indian-style banh mi be sure to tag me on social media @milkandcardamom! 

Indian-style Banh Mi

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• Author: Milk and Cardamom
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Vegetarian, Indian-style banh mi made with paneer marinated in a garam masala marinade, topped with a daikon and carrot athanu (Gujarati pickle)! Makes 4 banh mi sandwiches

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Ingredients

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CHAR SIU INSPIRED PANEER**

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp vegetarian hoisin sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 blocks of paneer (I used Sach Paneer and cut them into 4”x2”x1/4” planks)

CARROT AND DAIKON PICKLE (GAJAR DAIKON NU ATHANU)

• 1/2 a large daikon
• 3 medium carrots
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp rai na kuria (split mustard seeds)
• 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• pinch of red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

BANH MI ACCOMPANIMENTS

• 4 French rolls
• mayonaisse
• Sriracha
• cilantro
• coconut aminos
• salt and pepper
• thinly sliced cucumbers
• thinly sliced jalapeno (optional)
• lime

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Instructions

Char Siu-Inspired Paneer**

1. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, honey, vegetarian hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, sesame oil to a tupperware container, and mix until well combined. Add paneer planks and cover. Give the container a couple turns and gently shakes to coat the paneer and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, giving the container a little shake and turn every so often.

Carrot and Daikon Pickle (Gajar Daikon nu Athanu)

1. Use a mandolin or peeler to slice the daikon and carrots into thin long strips. Place the strips into a bowl. Add turmeric, rai na kuria, oil, lime juice, chili powder, and salt. Toss until well coated and refrigerate until ready to use.

Assemble Banh Mi

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot lay down the paneer slices onto the skillet and pour the marinade over the paneer. Cook for 4-5 minutes and flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes or until both sides are slightly browned.
2. Toast the French rolls in the oven at 325°F for 4 minutes. Then sliced the rolls in half, try not to go all the way through. Spread mayonnaise on both the cut sides of the rolls. Then spread Sriracha to taste onto each side as well. Sprinkle a few drops of coconut aminos onto one side of the cut sides of the bread.  Top one side of each roll with 2 pieces of the char siu paneer, gajar and daikon nu athanu, cucumber slices, cilantro, salt and pepper ot taste, a squeeze of lime juice, and jalapeno slices (optional). Top with the other half of the bread and enjoy!

Notes

**Char Siu Marinade is adapted from Andrea Nguyen’s recipe on Munchies

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Indian, Vietnamese

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