Banh Mi Vietnamese Caramel Pork Tart
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All the bold, irresistible flavors of a classic bánh mi in tart form! This dish starts with a buttery tart crust then gets loaded with sweet and savory Vietnamese caramel pork, tangy pickled veggies, spicy jalapeños, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs. Every bite is crunchy, tender, flavorful, and full of fusion magic.
About ten years ago I tried my very first Banh Mi sandwich. I live in a very small town and we don’t have a lot of variety when it comes to food so whenever anyone wants to introduce me to something new I’m all about it.
What is Banh Mi?
A bánh mì is a Vietnamese sandwich that’s famous for its delicious mix of flavors and textures. It usually contains a protein, pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro, jalapenos, and a spicy mayonnaise. It mostly served on crunchy baguette.
I haven’t done a lot of Vietnamese cooking but since trying a Banh Mi sandwich I’ve made a few dishes. One of our favorites are Banh Mi Meatballs with pickled vegetables on top. Another tasty dish is Vietnamese Caramel Pork which is a sweet and tangy Asian pork dish. I’ve also made Shaking Beef with Vietnamese Red Rice.
I recently came across a recipe for a Banh Mi Tart that looked amazing. It had a Butter Tart Crust, a spicy mayo sauce, and was topped with both Vietnamese Pork and pickled vegetables. It sounded amazing.
The problem with this tart is that there are a lot of parts to making it. I made the butter tart crust the morning I was going to make the tart which helped to save some time.
Do I have to use homemade crust?
Nope! If you want to save time just buy refrigerated pie crust dough and roll it into the shape you need. However, I will caution you not to handle the dough too much or your dough will become tough. It’s also not the easiest to roll a circular pie crust dough into a rectangle but it can be done.
You can also make the pickled vegetables a few days in advance. They will stay good in the refrigerator for over a week. While this recipe calls for carrots and daikon, you can use other vegetables.
What pickled vegetables can I use in this recipe?
I couldn’t find daikon so I used regular radish. You can also add red onions or the jalapenos to the vinegar mixture and pickle them as well.
The rest of the recipe needs to be made the day you are making the tart. With making the tart crust and the pickled vegetables ahead of time you can actually cut the time of making this recipe by around 20 minutes. You can even bake the tart crust up to 8 hours in advance.
Ingredients:
- All Butter Pie Dough recipe
- vegetable oil
- boneless pork chops
- shallots (or you can use red onions)
- garlic (I like to use Dorot Gardens frozen garlic but you can use fresh)
- ginger (I like to use Dorot Gardens frozen ginger but you can use fresh)
- brown sugar
- fish sauce (or you can use oyster sauce or Hoisin sauce)
- soy sauce (I prefer low sodium)
- mayonnaise
- Sriracha
- red wine vinegar
- carrots
- daikon (or radishes)
- cilantro (or basil if you prefer)
- fresh jalapenos
To make this dish you first need to blind bake the pie crust. Then you will spread the spicy mayonnaise on top of the crust. Place the cooked and sauced pork slices on top of that. Cover with the pickled vegetables. Finish off with the cilantro and jalapenos.
This tart is unusual but delicious. From the buttery crust to the flavorful pork to the tangy pickled vegetables on top it’s like a flavor explosion in your mouth!
I really liked this combination of flavors and how it is served. It was nice to be able to pick up a slice of the tart and eat it almost like it was a piece of pizza.
The presentation of the tart is gorgeous as well. The bright colors of the vegetables and the decorative edge of the tart makes this dish a showstopper.
Can I make this tart is advance?
No you cannot. However, you can make some of the components in advance. The pie dough can be made up to 3 days in advance, the pickled vegetables can be made several days in advance, and the tart shell can be baked up to 8 hours in advance.
The pork itself is a little bit salty, a little bit sweet, and packs a ton of flavor. The vegetables are crisp and tangy. The mayonnaise is creamy and spicy.
This would be a great appetizer at a party or could be part of dinner. We served it along with a salad but it could be served with fried rice, an egg roll, or some type of soup.
Banh Mi Vietnamese Caramel Pork Tart
Equipment
- 1 9 x 13 sheet pan
- 1 skillet
Ingredients
- 1 All Butter Pie Dough
For the Pork:
- 1/4 cup shallots diced
- 2 Dorot Gardens garlic cubes or 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Dorot Garden ginger cube or 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 pound boneless pork chops
For the pickled vegetables:
- 1 medium carrot cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 medium daikon cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
For the spicy mayonnaise:
- 2 Tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha
- salt and pepper
For the tart:
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a 9 x 13 baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Sprinkle flour on a work surface and roll the pie dough into a 9 x 13 inch rectangle. Cut the scraps from the edges and set aside.
- Transfer the pie crust dough to the prepared pan. Use scraps to make a decorative edge.
- Use a fork and prick the dough all over.
- Cover the pie dough with parchment paper and weigh down with pie weights.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Bake for an additional 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool. Do not refrigerate.
- Meanwhile, make the pickled vegetables by placing the carrots and radishes in a small bowl with a lid.
- Heat the red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Pour over top of the vegetables and cover. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Add one tablespoon vegetable oil to a large skillet. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper and add to the pan.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through.
- Remove to a cutting board and thinly slice.
- To make the sauce heat 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, brown sugar, dish sauce, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce the sauce for 5 minutes.
- Add the pork slices to the sauce and toss to coat.
- In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha.
- Spread the spicy mayonnaise over the base of the tart.
- Scatter the pork and sauce over top of the tart.
- Spread the pickled vegetables over the pork mixture.
- Sprinkle with cilantro and pickled jalapenos.
- Cut into 8 pieces.
Notes
