Turkey Banh Mi Sandwiches with Pickled Daikon and Carrots
Ingredients
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar plus 1 teaspoon, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup julienned carrot
- 1 cup julienned daikon
- 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
- 1 lemongrass stalk, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 baguette (or homemade bread), cut into 4 pieces and sliced partially open
- 8 lettuce leaves
- 12 sprigs cilantro
- ¼ cup sambal oelek chili sauce, or to taste
Directions
- Stir together the vinegar, 1 tablespoon agave, and salt in a medium mixing bowl, and toss in the carrot and daikon. Set aside to macerate, tossing occasionally to moisten ingredients. Squeeze out excess pickling liquid when ready to use.
- Put the turkey, lemongrass, fish sauce, garlic, and remaining agave in a medium mixing bowl. Mix well and shape into long, slender patties.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick grill pan over medium heat and cook the meat patties until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Cut each patty into 4 1-inch-wide strips.
- Line a baguette piece with 2 lettuce leaves, some of the marinated carrot and daikon, 4 slices turkey patty, 3 sprigs cilantro, and chili sauce; repeat with remaining ingredients.
Pickled daikon and carrots can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Dark meat turkey is essential to this sandwich, with the richness of the meat holding up to the spices and staying moist when cooked. In a pinch, use white meat turkey, but reduce cooking time by about 1 minute. While using a grill pan indoors is fine, grilling the meat on a charcoal grill is best, as is grilling the bread.
Reviews
What others are saying
Sheila Long says:
I didn't use lemongrass, couldn't find it! Still turned out great. I also can't stand the taste of fish sauce, so I used Worcestershire sauce instead. I read somewhere that it was a great substitute, and it worked well.
Monica Allen says:
The lemongrass-infused turkey patties were amazing. I didn't use pickled daikon but I did use carrots and all the fixings. Next time I may try this recipe but as sliders. Yummy!
DC Cote says:
I used both cilantro and jalapeño for topping on my sandwich, and it was fantastic. I also added onion to the mixing bowl with carrot, daikon, vinegar, agave, etc. Great recipe and I actually really liked the use of turkey.
Sam Dalton says:
Even though Bahn Mi is traditionally made with pork, I loved this ground turkey version. The lemongrass gave it a refreshing taste, that was surprisingly delicious. I grilled the meat and the bread, and both turned out perfect. I'll probably make these again for the next game day.
Jacqulyne de Jardins says:
This Banh Mi was very interesting with the turkey. I have only bought white turkey meat normally, but I absolutely understand why dark meat is recommended. It produced a lot more flavor and was still pretty moist. Will make this again finger sandwich style for a group.