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Your Next Bánh Mì Needs A Sloppy Joe-Inspired Upgrade

Bánh mì sandwiches are one of the most famous Vietnamese dishes and a prime example of fusion cuisine; one of the few boons of French colonialism, bánh mì was the result of incorporating Vietnamese pickled veggies and seasoned meats into a French baguette slathered with mayonnaise. Bánh mì now encompasses countless meat fillings, and you can extend its versatility to another practice of culinary fusion. Here to tell us how is chef Kevin Tien, a Best Chef Mid-Atlantic finalist for his work at the critically-acclaimed Moon Rabbit and a five-time James Beard semifinalist that's featured on The New York Times's "America's Best Restaurants" of 2024.

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"I love making ground meat curry for a bánh mì. Think Southeast Asian sloppy joe. Add a fried egg to make it banging." Considering the popularity of bánh mì burgers as a winning recipe remix, a sloppy joe isn't too far of a stretch. Furthermore, fried eggs are already a popular bánh mì filling known as bánh mì trung.

Meat curries are popular all across Asia, and beef, chicken, and pork curries are popular dishes in the south and center of Vietnam. In fact, brisket and oxtail curries are often accompanied by French bread to soak up all of the sauces. Swapping brisket for ground beef is easy enough and provides complex, flavorful, and juicy bánh mì sandwich filling. Plus, the mayo, cilantro, and pickled veggies are the crunchy, tangy, and creamy complements to cut through the richness of a curry meat sloppy joe.

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Flavor ideas and techniques for ground beef curry

As a true fusion dish, you can get creative with a curry sloppy joe bánh mì by blending aspects of the American recipe with flavors from the Vietnamese curry. For example, the best ground beef blend for mouth watering sloppy joes is equal parts chuck and sirloin. So you can add this beef blend to a sizzling skillet with Asian aromatics and spices instead of the typical seasonings of a classic sloppy joe recipe. Fresh aromatics like minced garlic and shallots will complement the beef and the curry paste you'll stir into it. You can add a dash of soy sauce and fish sauce for a more Southeast Asian take on Worcestershire sauce. Even more poignant a swap would be to combine the flavors of fish and soy sauce with a burst of sweetness by using the popular Thai condiment known as Golden Mountain seasoning

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The fat from the beef combined with Thai Kitchen red curry paste and soy-based condiments should create a juicy bánh mì filling, but you can also add some Thai Kitchen full fat coconut milk to make your red curry sloppy joe that much more decadent. Balance the richness from the coconut milk with a few squeezes of fresh lime juice before adding the beef curry to a bánh mì sandwich. Pickled carrots and daikons are par for the course, but we also recommend strips of fresh jalapeño for even more crunch and a spicy kick.

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