Bánh Mì Nướng Muối Ớt (Vietnamese Grilled Bread)
Bánh mì nướng muối ớt is a Vietnamese street food dish that consists of bread brushed with lemongrass chili oil before being grilled. It's then layered with meaty pâté, sautéed green onions, and a generous drizzle of mayo and sweet chili sauce.
Ingredients
Grilled Bread
- 3 small loaves of bread (preferably light and hollow bread like banh mi)
- 2 tbsp (30 g) vegan butter melted
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) saté
Sautéed Green Onions
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
Toppings
- 1/2 cup (100 g) vegan paté
- 3 tbsp vegan meat floss optional
- 1/3 cup sliced vegan sausages (about 2 Frankfurter sausages)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegan mayonnaise for topping
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) sweet chili sauce for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to
300 °F (150°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. - Flatten the bread. Flatten the three loaves of banh mi bread using a rolling pin. It might crumble a bit, but that’s okay. Try to flatten it as thinly as possible. Note: If your bread is too thick, slice it in half and remove some of the crumb.
- Brush with butter. Once your loaves of bread are flattened, brush each side with the melted butter using a pastry brush.
- Coat with saté. Next, add about 2 teaspoons of saté on top of each loaf and spread it evenly. If you don’t want it too spicy, use less saté.
- Bake. Transfer the loaves to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes.
- Sauté the green onions. While the bread is in the oven, prepare the green onions. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the green onions and fry for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Spread the pâté. It’s now time to garnish the bread! Spread 2-3 tablespoons of vegan pâté on top of each bread.
- Add the toppings. Next, sprinkle some vegan meatfloss on top of the pâté (optional). Arrange some sliced sausages and top with the sautéed green onions.
- Drizzle with sauce. Finally, generously drizzle with sweet chili sauce and mayo!
- Slice. Using a pair of scissors, cut each piece of bread into 1-inch (2.5 cm) wide strips and transfer them to serving bowls. You can then enjoy it as a light lunch/dinner, savory snack, or serve it as an appetizer when you have guests!
- This snack is best served immediately for optimal texture. You can keep it at room temperature for a few hours, but no more than that, as the bread will become drier and won't taste as good.
Notes
Use the right type of bread.
This one’s important. You must use a loaf of bread that can be easily flattened. This means that any bread with a thick or dense crumb is out of the equation. The ideal choice is banh mi bread, but light baguettes or even hot dog buns can also work well as alternatives.Do not overbake it.
Keep an eye on the bread during baking. You don’t want to bake it until it is completely crispy all the way through. It should be crispy on the outside while remaining tender and chewy on the inside. For traditional banh mi bread, I found that the sweet spot was around 13-15 minutes of baking.