Maggi Steak Banh Mi with Daikon and Carrot Pickle

These Maggi Steak Banh Mi sandwiches have been on my mind ever since I made these Banh Mi rolls a little less than a month ago.

About a month ago, I bought the book The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches. The first thing I made were the Banh Mi Rolls. Honestly, I had no idea that the book had a recipe for the rolls when I bought it, but if you follow this blog, you know how obsessed I am about bread baking.

When life got in the way, I wrapped two of the rolls in plastic wrap, wrapped them in foil, placed them in freezer bags, and then stuck them in the freezer (I think I got this backwards, I'm pretty sure you should wrap them in foil first, and then plastic wrap). I had 30 days to use them for banh mi sandwiches.

What is banh mi, you ask? It is a sandwich originally made by Vietnamese street vendors starting at least 100 years ago. It is a descendant of the French liver pate sandwich and is layered with mayonnaise, Maggi, soy, and/or other sauce, filling (such as meats, fish, poultry, cold cuts), pickled vegetables, fresh cucumbers, chiles, and cilantro. Baguettes were introduced to Vietnam during the century long French occupation of the country.

It was difficult to choose which meat filling to make for these sandwiches. I finally settled on the Maggi steak. I had a bottle of Maggi in the corner of my pantry nestled among the Gravy Master and Liquid Smoke (throw back ingredients that have saved me quite a few times). It's a seasoning that adds an umami boost without MSG or soy. I haven't seen it in "regular" grocery stores for awhile, but I have seen it in Asian markets. If you can't find it, you can use soy sauce or tamari.

I also made a spicy hoisin sauce, and a daikon and carrot pickle. Daikon is a long white radish that can be found in Asian groceries. If you can't find it, you can use other radishes, but may have to cut them into round slices rather than sticks.  According to the book, this is the most popular pickle for banh mi.

The steak itself is so tasty and easy. In fact, I'm looking forward to using this seasoning and method to make steaks for dinner soon.

For more banh mi flavors, you also need to try caramel shrimp banh mi sandwiches and even banh mi deviled eggs. 

Maggi Steak Banh Mi with Daikon and Carrot Pickle

Spicy Hoisin Sauce

6 T Thai sweet chile sauce

1/4 C hoisin sauce

2 T rice vinegar

2 T soy sauce

Mix all of the ingredients and refrigerate for up to a month. 

Daikon and Carrot Pickle

1 medium daikon (about 8 ounces)

1/2 large carrot (about 3 ounces)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp plus 1/2 C sugar

1 1/4 C white vinegar

1 C water

1. Peel the daikon and cut into 3 inch by 1/4 inch sticks.
2. Peel the carrot and cut it into to sticks the same length but slightly thinner than the daikon.
3. Place the vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and the 1 tsp of the sugar.
4. Massage the vegetables for 5 to 10 minutes, until the daikon can be bent so that the ends can touch each other without breaking. 
5. Rinse the vegetables and place them into glass jar or bowl that has a cover.
6. Mix the rest of the sugar, the vinegar, and water until the sugar dissolves. 
7. Pour it over the vegetables and refrigerate for at least an hour. Can be used for up to a month.

Maggi Steaks

(enough for four sandwiches)

2 10 ounce one-inch thick steaks (top sirloin, or New York strip)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 T Maggi Seasoning sauce
1 1/2 T vegetable oil

1. In a small bowl, mix all of the seasoning ingredients. 
2. Place the steaks on a dinner plate, and pour half of the seasoning ingredients over the steaks and rub them in.
3. Turn the steaks over and rub the rest of the mixture into the steaks.
4. Let the steaks sit for 15 minutes, uncovered. Flip them over and let them sit for another 15 minutes.
5. Heat a 12 inch cast iron frying pan over medium heat until a bead of water evaporates immediately. 
6. Place the steaks on the pan and cook undisturbed for six minutes. Turn them over with tongs and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove the steaks from the pan and place them on a clean plate and let them rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. 
7. Slice the steaks thinly against the grain and return the pieces to the plate to soak up the juices. 

Assemble the Sandwiches

Banh Mi Rolls or 6 inch sections of baguettes

Mayonnaise

Spicy hoisin sauce

Maggi Steak

Daikon and Carrot Pickle

Sliced cucumber

Mini chiles, such as jalapeño, thinly sliced (we grew some mini red chiles, not sure what they are, but they are pretty spicy)

Cilantro, slightly chopped

1. Slice the banh mi rolls in half, lengthwise, but not all of the way through. Slightly hollow out the rolls to make room for the fillings.
2. Spread mayonnaise onto both sides of the split rolls. 
3. Drizzle the spicy hoisin sauce onto the mayonnaise. You will have more sauce to use later.
4. Add 3 ounces of steak to each sandwich. 
5. Add the Daikon and carrot pickle. 
6. Place three or four sliced cucumbers on top of the pickle.
7. Add a few thin slices of the chiles.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro. 

Enjoy!!!

P.S. Here's how to revive this bread after freezing. Rub the bread with wet hands and place the rolls into a 375 degree oven and bake for 5 to seven minutes.