Vietnamese Rice Bowl (Banh Mi bowl)
Banh Mi is a popular sandwich with chicken or pork and pickled vegetables. This Vietmanese rice bowl is a delicious twist on the classic banh mi. Fluffy white rice topped with sesame carrots, spinach, pickled rash & cucumber. Featuring soy & ginger marinaded pork tenderloin, drizzled with a reduction.
All the flavors combined in this Vietnamese rice bowl, are unmatched. I can’t get enough of it. I’ve made it several times to perfect the recipe and I’ve determined that I could eat this once a week. It’s light, yet satisfying. The pork is marinated for 4 hrs in a garlic ginger sauce that is later used to reduce into a sauce for topping the pork. So much umami goodness.
Yes, there are a lot of steps, but trust me, this recipe far from difficult and it is 10000000% worth it. I use a quick pickling method for the veggies, so they sit while you prepare the rest of the meal. The carrots are sautéed with fresh garlic and sesame oil, giving them so much flavor. I get so excited about this meal because the ingredients are so simple, but the bowl is packed with flavor.
A few notes on the ingredients
Soy sauce is the main ingredient in the marinade and here’s why: it tenderizes the meat by breaking down the proteins making it softer and easier to chew, while also adding flavor. Soy sauce is my favorite ingredient to marinade both steak and pork with! I don’t recommend subbing the soy sauce with coconut aminos for the marinade as it won’t have quite the same tenderizing impact. You can use tamari.
Pork tenderloin is my protein of choice, but you can also make this with beef, chicken or tofu.
To spice it up, top your bowl off with a teaspoon of chili paste, like smabl oelek. Careful though, its quite spicy enough with the siracha mayo.
Use brown rice in place of white rice if you prefer! Both are delicious, white rice is more authentic for this bowl.
Reduce cooking steps by pickling the veggies up to a week in advance.
How to make Vietnamese rice bowls
Marinade the pork
You’ll mix all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl, then pour the mixture into a large ziplock bag with the tenderloin. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours.
Cook the pork
When it’s time to cook, place tenderloin on a plate and bring it to room temperature. Pour the marinade from the ziplock bag, into a small bowl (you will use this later). Heat oven to 400°. Place oven-safe pan (like a cast-iron skillet) in the oven to preheat. Once the oven is to temp, remove the pan and place it on the stovetop.
Cut the tenderloin in half and place both pieces in the pan and cook over medium-high heat. Brown all sides of the pork, 5-6 minutes. Place the whole pan in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove once a meat thermometer reads 140°. Place pork on a cutting board, cover it with tinfoil and let the pork rest. Slice the pork thin, about 1/4 of an inch.
Pickle the radish & cucumber
While the pork is cooking, place the vinegar, water, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Place the cucumber and radishes in two small separate bowls. Pour the simmering vinegar mixture evenly between the two bowls. Stir each bowl to make sure the vinegar is all mixed in. Let sit, and stir bowls occasionally while you prepare the rest of the meal.
Make the rice
I make mine in the instapot – 2 cups of washed, long grain white rice and 2 cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes and vent for 10 minutes. This method work just like a rice cooker.
Make the reduction
In the same pan that you cooked the pork in, pour in the extra marinade and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes, until thickened.
Cook the carrots & spinach
In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add 2 Tbl sesame oil. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add carrots and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a bowl. Add the remaining 2 Tbl of sesame oil, and add spinach. Sauté 2 minutes until wilted. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Make the spicy mayo
Mix mayo and sriracha together in a small bowl, add more or less sriracha to taste.
Build rice bowls
Build your bowls! Place 1 cup of rice in each bowl, drizzle the rice with a little rice vinegar 1-2 teaspoons. Divide the carrots, spinach, radishes, and cucumbers between each bowl. Add sliced pork. Add scallions. Drizzle with sriracha mayo. Drizzle pork with the reduced marinade. Sprinkle all over with sesame seeds and enjoy! Feel free to dash a few drops of soy sauce or coconut aminos. For more heat, add a little chili paste on top.
How to use your Instapot to make white rice!
Why buy another appliance when you can use the same method in the Instapot? Use a 1:1 water and white rice ratio. It’s important to first wash your rice to remove the extra starch in order to get the fluffy texture that we want. Add your washed rice and water to the instapot with a pinch of salt. Set to pressure cook on high for 3 mins, then switch off the seal and let it vent with the lid on for 10 mins.
Vietnamese Rice Bowl {Banh Mi bowl}
Ingredients
Method
- Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour into a large ziplock bag with tenderloin. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours. When it’s time to cook, place tenderloin on a plate and bring it to room temperature.
- Pour marinade from the ziplock back, into a small bowl (you will use this later). Heat oven to 400°. Place oven-safe pan (like a cast-iron skillet) in the oven to preheat. Once the oven is to temp, remove the pan and place it on the stovetop. Cut tenderloin in half and place both pieces in the pan and cook over medium-high heat. Brown all sides of the pork, 5-6 minutes. Place the whole pan in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove once a meat thermometer reads 140°. Place pork on a cutting board, cover it with tinfoil and let the pork rest. Wait until you are ready to build the rice bowls before slicing the pork, thin, about ¼ inch thick.
- While the pork is cooking, place the vinegar, water, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer.
- Place the cucumber and radishes in two small separate bowls. Pour the simmering vinegar mixture evenly between the two bowls. Stir each bowl to make sure the vinegar is all mixed in. Let sit, and stir bowls occasionally while you prepare the rest of the meal.
- Prepare your white rice, I make mine in the instapot – 2 cups of washed white rice and 2 cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes and vent for 10 minutes.
- In the same pan that you cooked the pork in, pour in the extra marinade and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes, until thickened.
- In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp sesame oil. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add carrots and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a bowl.
- Add the remaining 2 tbsp of sesame oil, and add spinach. Sauté 2 minutes until wilted. Place in a bowl and set aside.
- Mix mayo and sriracha together in a small bowl, add more or less sriracha to taste.
- Build your bowls! Place 1 cup of rice in each bowl, drizzle the rice with a little rice vinegar 1-2 tsp. Divide the carrots, spinach, radishes, and cucumbers between each bowl. Add sliced pork. Add scallions. Drizzle with sriracha mayo. Drizzle pork with the reduced marinade. Sprinkle all over with sesame seeds and enjoy! Feel free to dash a few drops of soy sauce or coconut aminos. For more heat, add a little chili paste on top.
