20 Minute Banh Mi Sandwich
Directions
- 1Add 2 pounds of 80/20 ground pork into a large bowl.
- 2Add 10g of salt to the pork.
- 3Add 25g of sugar to the pork.
- 4Add 5g of black pepper to the pork.
- 5Add 10g of cornstarch to the pork.
- 6Pour 60g of fish sauce into the bowl.
- 7Grate 30g (5-6 cloves) of garlic into the bowl using a microplane.
- 8Grate 30g of unpeeled ginger into the bowl.
- 9Finely mince one large shallot (or a quarter of a red onion).
- 10Add the 60g of minced shallots to the bowl.
- 11Take 15-20g of fresh basil and finely mince it.
- 12Add the minced basil to the bowl with the other ingredients.
- 13Put on gloves and thoroughly mix all the ingredients together in the bowl until evenly distributed and the meat becomes tacky.
- 14Scoop roughly 2 ounces of the meat mixture with a scoop.
- 15Roll the scooped meat back and forth in your hands to develop more myosin protein, making it sticky and helping it hold its shape.
- 16Place the formed meatball onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs 80/20 ground pork
- 10 g salt
- 25 g sugar
- 5 g black pepper
- 10 g cornstarch
- 60 g fish sauce
- 30 g grated garlic (5-6 cloves)
- 30 g grated ginger
- 60 g shallot (one large or a quarter of a red onion), finely minced
- 20 g fresh basil
Equipment
large bowlmicroplaneknifecutting board2-ounce scoopbaking sheetparchment papergloves
Tips
- If you don't eat pork, ground chicken thigh is a good substitute.
- Cornstarch acts as a binder, replacing breadcrumbs or egg, and adds a bouncy chew to the meatballs.
- If salt-sensitive, reduce fish sauce to 30g.
- No need to peel ginger when grating on a microplane as the skin is not fibrous or bitter and saves time.
- Developing the myosin proteins in the meat by working it helps the meatballs hold their shape.