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Why is Vietnamese one of my favorite cuisines? Oh, let me count the ways. Clean flavors, fresh ingredients, incredible marinated pork and beef dishes, healthy, and cheap! Sometimes I wish I was Vietnamese just so my mom would cook homemade Vietnamese food for me...how amazing would that be? Since that's not the case, I have to step up and make my own Vietnamese dishes like this lemongrass steak banh mi. This may not be your traditional banh mi but it's my favorite Vietnamese creation. The sriracha aioli, pickled carrots and daikon, and fried egg make this the ultimate banh mi.

Recipe

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Lemongrass Steak Banh Mi with Fried Egg

Total Time1 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: beef, sandwich

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Steak

1 lb sirloin steak or ribeye steak
1 tablespoon garlic minced
1 shallot minced
1 red Thai chili finely chopped
1 stalk lemongrass trimmed and finely chopped
4 tablespoon fish sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon brown sugar

Pickled carrots and daikon

½ cup daikon julienned
½ cup carrots julienned
½ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup water
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Sriracha aioli

1 tablespoon sriracha
¼ cup mayo

Remaining ingredients

4 crusty baguettes sliced in half and toasted
2 jalapenos thinly sliced
cilantro for garnish
4 eggs sunny side up

Instructions

Combine the ingredients for the marinade. Add the beef and toss to coat. Cover and let sit at room temperature for one hour.
Pickle the carrots and daikon. Combine rice vinegar - salt in a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour over the carrots and daikon. Let cool.
Mix together the sriracha and mayonnaise in a small bowl until combined. Add more sriracha if desired.
Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill the marinated beef for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through, flipping halfway through. Transfer the steak to a plate and tent with foil. Let sit for 10 minutes. Slice the steak.
Assemble the sandwiches. Spread the sriracha aioli on both sides of the bread. Top the bottom half with 4 ounces steak, pickled carrots and daikon, sliced jalapeno, cilantro, fried egg, and the remaining bread. Serve.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

My usual go-to homemade recipe for banh mi consists of five-spice marinated chicken, but I wanted to change things up a bit. Lemongrass and steak just made sense so why not throw it into a banh mi?

When preparing the lemongrass, remove and discard the first few outer layers. Trim the spiky top and base, then bruise the stem by lightly crushing it with a large knife, cleaver or mallet. This allows the lemongrass to release its flavor; you will able to smell lemon once it is bruised.

Marinate the steak for at least one hour at room temperature. You can grill the steaks or prepare them on the stovetop or even in the oven. Be sure to keep the flames on medium heat so that the sugars don't burn before the meat is done. Once the steaks are done, let them rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This will allow the juices to permeate and create an even juicer steak.

Banh mi sandwiches typically have pickled vegetables, jalapeno, and cilantro. I stuck with those traditional toppings but added sriracha aioli to the mix to add some heat. Add as much or as little Sriracha as you like.

You also want to serve the sandwiches on a crusty baguette to stick to Vietnamese roots. Vietnamese baguettes tend to be lighter and crispier than French baguettes, almost like an Italian loaf. However, as long as you have crusty bread, it will do the job!

Fry some eggs, slice the steak, and get ready to assemble the steak banh mi. Spread the Sriracha aioli and stack on the lemongrass steak, pickled vegetables, jalapeno, cilantro, and a fried egg.

The tender, juicy steak is slightly sweet and salty while the jalapeno and spicy mayo add heat. The pickled vegetables add another layer of sweet and sour while the fried egg brings the entire steak banh mi together. Hands down, my favorite banh mi that I've created so far.

For more sandwich inspiration check out this Mexican carnitas torta!

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