Banh Mi Burger--Food Freedom

If our July 4th, a.k.a. Independence Day, celebrates freedom, then why not freedom from the typical food of the day? I said this to myself as I began planning grocery shopping for this year's quiet celebration with me, myself and my husband. I was feeling rather rebellious, and I also had frozen grass-fed burgers in the freezer. It wasn't long before the Banh Mi Burger was born!

I happened to have sunflower sprouts in my refrigerator, so they went on the sandwich too.

Did you wince when you read Banh Mi Burger? Especially on such a patriotic day as the fourth of July? Shouldn’t we grill good ole American burgers? Well, we can still do that, but a blended sandwich like this is so essentially American if we can agree that, except for Native Americans, we are all immigrants. So I present to you for serious consideration and delicious consumption, the Banh Mi Burger! I hope you find it as delicious as we did.

Easily shared by two, this sandwich is patriotic, delicious and loaded with nutrition.

Before I get to the recipe, I want to offer thanks to Emeril Lagasse’s Instagram account for posting his recipe for a Banh Mi hot dog. Thank you, sir!

The Banh Mi sandwich is a blended cultures meal, and it’s so loaded with veggies that it really is a complete meal. Banh Mi refers to bread in the Vietnamese language, and it’s the meat that’s used to finish it out that changes it to Banh Mi this or that. So, bread with grilled pork or bread with sautéed chicken, but in Vietnamese. According to my own accumulated knowledge and online research, when the French “visited” Vietnam, some of their food was adapted into the established Vietnamese cuisine. So, sometime in the 1950s, the Banh Mi was invented and featured the French baguette and a layer of pate! To this day, the pate is still a primary ingredient of the traditional sandwich.

For a printable recipe, please click here.

Ingredients

¾ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup sugar

½ tablespoon salt

1 cup boiling hot water

4 cups carrot matchsticks

4 cups finely shredded cabbage

2 cups watermelon or daikon radish matchsticks

Two large French bread sub rolls

Mayonnaise & Sriracha

1 cup shaved hothouse cucumber slices (about half of one cucumber)

Cilantro, about half a bunch (wash just prior to using or it will get limp)

Thinly sliced fresh jalapeno peppers or sweet red peppers (to taste)

4 grass-fed hamburger patties (or make your own from 80/20 beef)*

Sauce for burger patties:

1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon sugar

*I use the frozen and organic Simply Nature grass-fed burger patties from Aldi

Instructions

Whisk together the burger sauce ingredients and set aside.

Prepare marinated veggies by combining carrots, cabbage and radishes with the salt, sugar and rice wine vinegar. Toss well and pour on the boiling hot water. Toss again, cover with a towel and set aside to cool. Can be made ahead and kept for up to a week to use with other sandwiches.

Cut the rolls lengthwise through one side and toast in the oven. You want a crispy exterior and soft interior. Set aside.

Gather all of your remaining ingredients and utensils. Now you’re ready to cook the burgers and assemble the Banh Mi.

Cook burgers according to package directions…in a pan…on the stove. No hot grill and July 4^th heat and humidity. Place all burger patties in a shallow bowl and pour all of the burger sauce over all patties. Turn them and set aside to begin assembly.

Slather the rolls very generously with mayonnaise and liberally drizzle the Sriracha on one side of the roll. Place two patties onto the side of the roll with Sriracha.

Top with pickled vegetables and then with remaining fresh vegetables. Don’t be afraid to layer up with vigor. You can smoosh everything once it’s all layered.

Cut each sandwich in two and consume with enthusiasm and a spicy ginger beer like Goslings or a refreshing American standard from America’s oldest brewery, Yuengling lager.