Bánh Mì Sauce
A sweet and spicy tomato sauce that is perfect for adding a ton of flavor to your Bánh Mì sandwiches! Infused with garlic, five-spice, chili sauce, and green onions!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 3 medium ripe tomatoes
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp vegan oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp five-spice powder
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tsp tapioca starch diluted in 1 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. 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.
- Blend the tomatoes. In the meantime, wash the tomatoes and slice them into quarters. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Cook the tomatoes. 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 sauces and spices. Next, add the sweet chili sauce, vegan oyster sauce, soy sauce, five-spice powder, ground black pepper, and water. Let simmer for another 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Thicken the sauce. Dilute the tapioca starch in one tablespoon of water. Add the diluted tapioca to the saucepan and cook for one more minute or until the sauce has slightly thickened.
- Garnish with herbs. Finally, stir in the chopped cilantro and let cool for a few minutes before using it to make bánh mì!
- You can keep this bánh mì sauce for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Sieve the blended tomatoes. If you want a very smooth sauce, pass the blended tomatoes through a fine sieve mesh to remove the seeds and pulp. Note that your sauce might be on the thinner side, so you may have to add a bit more tapioca starch.
- Reheat it. Once chilled, the sauce will thicken even more. If you want to get a thinner consistency again, feel free to reheat it over low-medium heat.
- Adjust the seasonings. Depending on the type of tomatoes, vegan oyster sauce, and chili sauce, you might have to adjust slightly the saltiness and sweetness. The sauce is supposed to be slightly sweet and quite salty (as it is used as a seasoning for bánh mì).
Nutrition
Serving: 1 tbsp | Calories: 18 kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.6 g | Protein: 0.2 g | Fat: 1.3 g | Saturated Fat: 0.2 g | Sodium: 49 mg | Potassium: 34 mg | Fiber: 0.2 g | Sugar: 0.8 g | Calcium: 2 mg