Vietnamese Bánh Mì-Style Steak Sandwich with Pickled Veggie Salad (Two Ways)

Ingredients

• 1 lb striploin (New York strip) steak
• 1 jalapeño pepper (Seed and remove ribs to reduce spice, if desired.)
• 0.5 English cucumber (Trimmed and cut into thin matchsticks.)
• 3 carrots (Medium; peeled, trimmed, and coarsely grated. Reserve 2/3 cup for the carrot salad.)
• 0.5 lime (Zested, then juiced.)
• 0.5 head butter (Boston) lettuce (Chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces.)
• 6 oz blueberries
• 0.5 shallot (Peeled and minced.)
• 2 French buns or rolls (Toast if desired.)
• 0.125 cup raisins
• 0.5 cup mini rice cakes (For the kid plates.)
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise (Used in the dressing and spicy mayonnaise.)
• 1 tsp chili-garlic sauce
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp neutral vegetable oil (For stir-frying the steak.)
• 10 tsp rice vinegar (Used in the pickling liquid and carrot-salad dressing.)
• 2.5 tsp brown sugar (Used in the pickling liquid and carrot-salad dressing.)
• 0.5 tsp poppy seeds
• 0.25 tsp garlic powder (Source specifies ¼ tsp plus 1 pinch.)
• 1.0625 tsp salt (Source specifies 1 tsp plus 1 pinch; used across the pickling liquid and steak seasoning.)
• 0.5 tsp black pepper

Steps

1. 1

   This recipe was created to feed two adults and two young children. Adjust ingredients, cooking methods, and portions to suit your child’s tastes and appetite.

2. 2

   Wash and dry all the fresh produce.

3. 3

   Place the rice vinegar, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir to combine the pickling liquid.

4. 4

   Thinly slice the jalapeño into rings. Seed and remove the ribs with a spoon to reduce the spice level, if desired. Add the jalapeño to the pickling liquid. Wash your hands after handling the pepper, wear gloves, and avoid touching your eyes.

5. 5

   Trim the cucumber and cut it into thin matchsticks. Add it to the pickling liquid.

6. 6

   Peel and trim the carrots, then coarsely grate them. Place 2/3 cup of grated carrot on a plate and reserve it for the carrot salad. Add the remaining grated carrot to the pickling liquid, stir to combine the pickled vegetables, and set aside.

7. 7

   Place the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, brown sugar, poppy seeds, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine the dressing.

8. 8

   Add the reserved grated carrot and raisins to the dressing. Stir to combine the carrot salad and set it aside. Reserve the plate for the lettuce.

9. 9

   Chop or tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Place it on the reserved plate and set aside.

10. 10

    Zest the lime into another small bowl. Add the mayonnaise and chili-garlic sauce, then stir to make the spicy mayonnaise. Set it aside and reserve the lime for juicing.

11. 11

    Juice the lime into a third small bowl.

12. 12

    Peel and mince the shallot. Add it to the lime juice with the fish sauce, maple syrup, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir to combine the sauce and set it aside.

13. 13

    Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.

14. 14

    While the skillet heats, pat the steak dry with paper towels. Place it on a cutting board and slice it crosswise into thin strips. Season with salt and pepper.

15. 15

    When the skillet is hot, add the neutral vegetable oil and swirl to coat the bottom.

16. 16

    Add the steak and stir-fry until just cooked through, 3–4 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup of the steak strips and set them aside for the kid plates.

17. 17

    Add the lime-shallot sauce to the skillet with the remaining steak. Continue cooking and stirring constantly until fragrant and the sauce has reduced, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat.

18. 18

    Toast the buns, if desired.

19. 19

    For the kid plates, divide the carrot salad, reserved plain steak strips, blueberries, and mini rice cakes among the plates.

20. 20

    For the adult plates, divide the buns among the plates. Spread the bottom half of each bun with spicy mayonnaise, top with saucy steak and a small handful of pickled vegetables, then close with the top half of the bun.

21. 21

    Add lettuce to the plates, top it with the remaining pickled vegetables and some pickling liquid, and drizzle with oil. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

The recipe is designed for two adults and two young children. Adjust portions and spice level as needed. The source does not specify a steak doneness beyond cooking until just cooked through.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• Vietnamese-inspired
• sandwich
• kid-friendly
• stir-fried
• quick meal
• 35-minute meal