pork meatball banh mi

One of the (many) things the GS makes fun of me for is how fast I eat.

I don’t know whether I’m always starving by the time I start eating, or I don’t chew my food appropriately, or I like to let others lead the dinner conversation. But I am almost always the first person to finish my food. When I’m at a work dinner I have to physically put my fork down and clasp my hands in my lap to avoid looking like a rabid animal in front of customers. Deep breaths.

I don’t, however, show the same courtesy to my family. Last weekend we went home for a wedding. The boys went to play golf in the morning, and when they got back I made sandwiches for everyone. I was whipping up turkey clubs and serving them up. I probably made 4 sandwiches before I decided to sit down with my own.

And, predictably, I finished mine before anyone else. The GS kindly pointed out that they all had a solid 5-10 minute head start on me and I still housed it like a marathon runner.

I tried to defend myself by pointing out that they were ALSO eating potato chips in addition to their lovingly made sandwiches, but the truth is I finished off a bag of potato chips before they got home so I had already met my quota for trans fats that day.

It should come as no surprise that when I made these little babies, I finished my entire sandwich before the GS looked up from his computer to take the first bite. He’s lucky I didn’t snatch his and tell him to go order take-out.

Pork Meatball Banh Mi

inspired by Bon Appetit

for the meatballs:

1 lb ground pork

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp fish sauce

3 tbs sriracha

3 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed and chopped

for the slaw

daikon, sliced thinly or spiralized

1 large carrot, sliced thinly or spiralized

1/2 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed and chopped

3 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tbs rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

zest of 1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

4 sub rolls, or large baguette cut into four portions

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tbs sriracha

Loosely combine all the meatball ingredients until they are spread throughout. Form into small balls and pan fry in vegetable or canola oil until brown and crispy on all sides.

While the meatballs are frying, spiralize (or use a mandolin or vegetable peeler) the daikon and the carrots. You can find daikon in the produce section- it’s a radish but it looks like a big white carrot.

Combine with jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, scallions, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and lime zest. You can also add a squirt of lime juice- especially if you don’t have rice vinegar on hand. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

Toast the bread, and spread both sides with a thin layer of sriracha mayo. The estimates I gave above are just a guess- you can adjust the ratio to suit how spicy you want it.

Pile some slaw mixture, and then top with two meatballs. Press and inhale. This all came together in under 30 minutes, and it was also excellent as leftovers.

These have SO MUCH FLAVOR. Hands down my favorite meal I’ve made in a very long time. It’s a miracle I took a breath to stop and take this picture.