Garlic Steak Banh Mi sandwiches are a staple in Vietnamese street food culture. This sandwich is stacked with meat—typically pork—pickled veggies, and fresh herbs. I’ve decided to change it up a little and use steak.
Thin slices are piled onto garlicky ciabatta rolls, along with creamy mayo, pickled carrots and cucumbers, sliced jalapeño, and fresh cilantro. It’s every bit as flavorful as it sounds! Cook, relax, and enjoy!
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician, army officer, and writer, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. As Prime Minister, Churchill led Britain to victory in the Second World War.
key step to this meal
Pickle carrot & cucumber: Grate carrot on the large holes of a box grater (no need to peel). Thinly slice cucumbers into rounds. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, chopped ginger, 1⁄2 of chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, whisking to dissolve. Add carrots and cucumbers and let sit until step 6, stirring occasionally.
Garlic Steak Banh Mi 
Wine pairing
A Nice Cabernet: Who doesn’t love the occasional filet? Fatty meats like filet, skirt steak, and a New York strip, should be paired with a bold red wine. A Cabernet for example has a high tannins, and works as a palate cleanser when eating beef. Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world’s most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada’s Okanagan Valley to Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. The fatty beef combines with the tannins creates a rich and delicious sensation in your mouth. This is the perfect wine pairing for a steak meal.
Tips for cooking steak:
MAKE SURE THE STEAK IS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE:
Before you start cooking the perfect steak, get the steak out of the fridge and allow it to come up to room temperature about one hour before cooking – frying or grilling it from cold will stop the heat from penetrating to the middle as efficiently.
SALT STEAK BEFORE COOKING:
Salt steak for 30 minutes before cooking. This is the best option for those nights when you’re cooking steak on a whim. Salting relatively close to cooking seasons the steak and helps create a dry surface for searing
Salt steak for 24 hours: Salting your steak overnight also creates a dry surface for searing, but with the added bonus of a bit more concentrated flavor in the interior tissue.
RUB STEAK WITH A CLOVE OF FRESH GARLIC:
Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub the entire steak with the cut side. Fresh garlic makes for a quick and delicious steak rub. After cooking, leave it to rest and rub with a little extra virgin olive oil or butter for an incredible, juicy steak.
Garlic Steak Banh Mi with Pickled Carrots & Cukes
Equipment
- large skillet
- cutting board
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 oz fresh ginger
- garlic use 2 cloves
- 1 ⁄4 oz fresh cilantro
- 1 jalapeno
- 4 oz carrots
- 6 oz cucumbers
- 1.7 oz rice vinegar
- 12 oz grass-fed sirloin steaks
- 2 ciabatta rolls 2
- 1 oz mayonnaise 1
- sugar
- coarse kosher salt
- neutral oil such as vegetable
- or safflower
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Recipe
- Prep ingredients: Peel and finely chop 1⁄2 of the ginger (save rest for own use). Peel and finely chop 2 cloves garlic. Coarsely chop cilantro leaves and stems. Thinly slice jalapeño and discard stem
- Pickle carrot & cucumber: Grate carrot on the large holes of a box grater (no need to peel). Thinly slice cucumbers into rounds. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, chopped ginger, 1⁄2 of chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, whisking to dissolve. Add carrots and cucumbers and let sit until step 6, stirring occasionally.
- Dry brine steaks: Split steaks horizontally and pound to a 1⁄4-inch thickness with a meat mallet or heavy skillet and rub with oil. Sprinkle with remaining garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and several grinds pepper and let sit until step 5.
- Toast rolls: Heat a grill or grill pan over high. Split rolls. Reduce heat to medium high. Open rolls and grill, cut-sides down, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Flip rolls and grill, turning once or twice, until outsides are lightly toasted, 1– 2 minutes (watch closely).
- Grill steaks: Rub grill or grill pan grates with oil. Add steaks and cook over medium-high until lightly charred about 11⁄2 minutes. Flip and cook just 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate (or cutting board to slice if desired).
- Assemble & serve: Spread mayo on rolls and top each with 2 steaks. Use a slotted spoon to add some of the pickled carrots and cucumbers to sandwiches. Garnish with jalapeños and cilantro. Close sandwiches and serve with remaining pickled veggies alongside. Enjoy!
