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Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp Banh Mi

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Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp Banh Mi

With my pickled carrots and daikon radish made I was ready to move onto making the banh mi sandwiches. A Bánh mì sandwich is a Vietnamese sandwich typically consisting of the pickles, cucumbers, cilantro, chilies, pâté, mayonnaise and a meat all wrapped up in a baguette made from both wheat and rice flour. Other than skipping the pate and using an all wheat baguette, I wanted to keep my sandwiches as traditional as possible which meant that the only real decision left was what meat to use. Well, that wasn’t much of a decision either given that it was a shrimp sandwich what inspired me to make the banh mi sandwiches in the first place and I was still craving that shrimp sandwich! Of course, I could not simply saute or grill some shrimp and throw them into the sandwich because I would be missing out on the opportunity to add some flavour and I knew just how I wanted to do it. I am a huge fan of savoury Vietnamese caramel dishes and one of my favorites is the Vietnamese caramel shrimp, or tom rim , and I figured that the sweet and salty caramel shrimp would be perfect in the banh mi sandwich.

Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp Banh Mi
The banhmi sandwiches are pretty easy to make once you have the pickles ready and all you really need to do is quickly cook the shrimp and assemble the sandwiches. You just have to like it when something so easy to make is so wonderfully good! The flavour combinations in the banh mi sandwiches are simply amazing! The succulent, sweet and salty shrimp were delightful with the creamy mayo and both went well with the tangy pickles. The juicy cucumbers cleansed your palate in between bites leaving you ready for more and the cilantro added a particularly nice freshness reminding you of summer and really taking the sandwich home. The only problem that I had with these sandwiches was trying to resist having seconds right away! 🙂

Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp Banh Mi

Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp Banh Mi

Prep Time:10 minutes Total Time:10 minutes Servings: 4
ingredients
  • 1 baguette (cut into 4 sandwich sized lengths and sliced in half)
  • 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 pound caramelized shrimp (see below)
  • 1/4 cup pickled daikon radish
  • 1/4 cup pickled carrots
  • 1/2 cup cucumber (thinly sliced)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro (loosely packed)
  • 2 birds eye chilies (sliced, optional)
  • soy sauce to taste
directions
  1. Assemble sandwiches and enjoy.
Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp

Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp

Cook Time:15 minutes Total Time:15 minutes Servings: 4
ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 shallot (finely diced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 1 pound shrimp (peeled and deviened)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • pepper to taste
directions
  1. Heat the sugar and water in a pan on medium-high heat until it caramelizes and turns a dark brown.
  2. Carefully add the water and heat until the caramel dissolves.
  3. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Heat the oil in a pan.
  5. Add the shallot and garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes.
  6. Add the shrimp, caramel sauce, fish sauce and pepper and cook until the shrimp is pink all over, about 2-3 minutes.
Similar Recipes:
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Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp (Tom Rim)
Fried Green Tomato and Shrimp Remoulade Po Boy
Pickled Green Tomato and Shrimp Remoulade Po Boy
Spicy Pork Bulgogi Banh Mi
Banh Mi Burgers with Vietnamese Caramel BBQ Sauce
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Banh Mi Chicken Salad
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Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi Paratha Tacos
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. frugalapolis says

    July 30, 2010 at 12:01 am

    Do you have a recipe for Vietnamese Curried Mock Duck? I love the stuff they have at the Lotus restaurant in Minneapolis, MN but can't find a recipe that tastes like it. It has curry paste, mock duck, coconut milk.

    Reply

  6. Recipe for Delicious says

    July 30, 2010 at 1:14 am

    Kevin, when I saw the name of this post in my feed, I fell on the floor. After I picked myself up, I saw the picture and fell on the floor again. This looks jaw-droppingly delicious. You are awesome.

    Reply

  20. kelly @Evil Shenanigans says

    July 30, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    That looks delicious!! I do not usually go for the shrimp on my sandwiches. The Vietnamese sandwich place I go to makes this delectable lemongrass beef sandwich. That picture of your sandwich, however, has me thinking I need to try something different! Lovely.

    Reply

  21. Twin Tables says

    July 30, 2010 at 4:35 pm

    I am a sucker for Banh Mi! I can't pass it by on the menu. We have some FABULOUS hole in the walls here in Seattle so I am blessed. I always get pork however. Now I am thinking shrimp is on my next sandwich! Looks fantastic.

    Reply

  22. Stella says

    July 30, 2010 at 5:43 pm

    Hey Kevin, when I saw the word 'Banh Mi' in my dashboard, I had to take a look at this. Beautiful! And I love that you used caramel shrimp dish-that sounds so nice right now. I would have definitely had seconds…

    Reply

  23. Monika says

    July 30, 2010 at 11:35 pm

    Oh my. I think you really need to put out a cookbook; I'd buy it in a heartbeat. You are so ridiculously inventive and creative with food!

    Reply

  31. Gabi says

    August 3, 2010 at 10:48 pm

    I have to agree with Recipe for Delicious; I had to take a moment before even reading this post. So amazing!

    I haven't gotten to try Banh Mi yet because I don't cook meat and no restaurants near me carry them. But shrimp are definitely going on next weeks shopping list.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  32. Nicole says

    August 4, 2010 at 3:43 am

    hi, your recipe inspired me to make lemongrass chicken banh mi yesteday, and with the leftover picked veggies I made this shrimp one tonight. The shrimp was very tasty this way, thanks!

    Reply

  35. Anonymous says

    August 9, 2010 at 3:30 am

    Looks AH-MAZING! Can't wait to try! I am confident in saying Banh Mi is my favorite sandwich of all time.

    Reply

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