Take your bánh mì game to the next level with this amazing Vietnamese-inspired tomato sauce! Infused with garlic, green onions, chili sauce, and five-spice, this sauce is thick, spicy, and so flavorful!
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⭐️ Why You Should Try This Recipe
- It's packed with flavor. This sauce has the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and spicy. The addition of garlic and a pinch of five-spice gives it a subtle char siu flavor! It's definitely going to be your next secret ingredient for amazing bánh mì!
- It's quick and easy. 20 minutes, 12 ingredients, and one pot.
- It's a versatile sauce. That's right, this sauce doesn't have to be used only for bánh mì! It's also delicious used in burgers, sandwiches, or as a dipping sauce!
🥣 How to Make Bánh Mì Sauce
This sauce takes just 20 minutes to prepare and one-pot. Here is what you will need:
- Tomatoes - Use fresh and ripe tomatoes for the best flavor. If you don't have fresh tomatoes on hand, you can use tomato purée, check out the FAQ below for more info.
- Garlic and shallots
- Scallions - Also called green onions, these add a sharp and peppery flavor to the sauce.
- Soy sauce - For saltiness. Feel free to use tamari or coconut aminos.
- Oyster sauce - Sometimes sold as "stir-fry sauce", it's a sweet and salty sauce that has a thick consistency. You can use store-bought vegan oyster sauce, or learn how to make your own oyster sauce here!
- Sweet chili sauce - For a hint of spiciness and extra sweetness. I also have a recipe for homemade sweet chili sauce, if you want to try it!
- Five spice powder - We will not use a whole lot of five-spice powder, but enough to add a hint of anise and cinnamon to the sauce.
- Black pepper
- Cilantro - For freshness, we will add chopped cilantro at the end of cooking.
- Tapioca starch - To make a slurry and thicken the sauce. If you don't have tapioca starch, you can use cornstarch.
First, start by sautéeing the garlic, shallots, and green onions until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
In the meantime, add the tomatoes to a blender and blend to make a tomato purée. Pour in the tomato purée into the saucepan, add the sugar, and cook for about 5 minutes.
The tomato purée will take a deeper red color and shouldn't smell like raw tomatoes anymore.
Next, add the rest of the seasonings: vegan oyster sauce, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, black pepper, and five spice. Pour in ¼ cup of water to slightly dilute the sauce and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
Finally, add the tapioca slurry and cook for one more minute, or until the sauce has thickened.
Note: The sauce will thicken even more once chilled. Feel free to reheat it over low-medium heat to get a thinner consistency again.
🥖 Where to Use This Sauce
This sauce obviously shines in bánh mì sandwiches! Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of the sauce inside the bread to add flavor and make the sandwich juicier.
You can also use this sauce in regular sandwiches, tacos, burgers, or simply as a dip for taro fries, mushroom tempura, or even vegan chick'n nuggets!
💬 FAQ
- Is this recipe authentic? There is not one authentic recipe, each cook has its own way of making bánh mì sauce. It is, however based on Vietnamese recipes.
- Can I substitute tomato purée for the fresh tomatoes? Yes, you can use about 1 cup of tomato purée.
- How long does this sauce keep? You can keep this bánh mì sauce for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
I hope you are going to love this sauce! If you ever wondered what makes those Vietnamese sandwiches so tasty, the sauce is definitely one of the key component!
🥫 More Sauce Recipes
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
📖 Recipe
Bánh Mì Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 shallot minced
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- 3 medium ripe tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoon tapioca starch diluted in 1 tablespoon water
- 3 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced garlic, shallot, and green onions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant.
- In the meantime, wash the tomatoes and slice them into quarters. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Pour the tomato purée into the saucepan. Add the sugar, and let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the tomato purée has darkened and no longer smells like raw tomatoes.
- Add the sweet chili sauce, vegan oyster sauce, soy sauce, five-spice powder, ground black pepper, and water. Let simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Finally, add the diluted tapioca and cook for one more minute, or until the sauce has slightly thickened. Stir in the chopped cilantro and let cool for a few minutes before using to make bánh mì!
- This bánh mì sauce will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
cant wait to make this soon for me i never had banh mi sauce before perfect for my snacks or your banh mi recipes love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work