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These colorful Vietnamese-inspired 25 Minute Ginger Sesame Banh Mi Rice Bowls are full of fresh flavors and made so simply. The ground chicken, or pork, is cooked in a sweet soy chili sauce until caramelized around the edges. Itโs then added to bowls of lemongrass rice. A fresh, bright, cucumber herb salad with chunks of avocado is spooned overtop along with quickly pickled carrots. Thereโs spicy mayo and extra sauce too. Itโs a very yummy balance of spicy, sweet, and savory flavors. Altogether, these bowls are so delicious, plus quick to make.
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If youโre not familiar with a Banh Mi sandwich, itโs a Vietnamese sandwich. Itโs usually made with a baguette-style sub roll thatโs layered with cripy pork or chicken. Then a spicy mayo is spread on top with pickled veggies, cucumbers, spicy chilies, and fresh herbs. Itโs also traditional to add liver pate, but youโll notice I left that out of these bowls. Itโs not something I can easily find.
The flavors combined are fresh, with just the right amount of spiciness, and great umami flavors all around.
Itโs such a yummy sandwich!
Iโve never made a traditional banh mi, they can sometimes be time intensive depending on the method used. But these bowls are the next best thing!
And so quick to make too, which we just love! These bowls arenโt traditional, but a nice, quick way to enjoy similar flavors.
The details on these bowls
To start, I do make my own lemongrass rice. Itโs super simple but totally optional.
Lemongrass is such a star ingredient thatโs so underused. When cooked, it has a subtle citrusy, lemony flavor with a bit of mintiness in there too.
Itโs a very light refreshing flavor and I love cooking it into the rice. The lemongrass really compliments these bowls.
I cook the rice in coconut milk for a creamy, coconut flavor along with lemongrass paste and Thai jasmine rice. Simply let the rice steam while you prepare the bowls.
While thatโs cooking away, I make the cucumber salad.
Lots of fresh herbs, I use a mix of cilantro and Thai basil. If you enjoy mint, add that too! Then, refreshing cucumber, avocado, toasted sesame seeds, roasted peanuts, a little spice from a serrano pepper, and a simple lime dressing.
Just toss everything together in a bowl, no fancy steps.
And now the meat. You can use chicken or pork, I usually do a mix of the two. Then a couple of shallots and garlic. Then add chili paste, tamari or soy, fish sauce, and maple syrup. Oh, plus some black pepper.
Now the KEY, pickled ginger. I added this at the last minute and it ended up being the most delicious addition. The picked ginger quickly caramelizes and becomes sweet and just addicting. You will love it.
Finish it up
Layer each bowl with lots of rice, then the meat, and any extra sauce. Top each bowl with the cucumber salad and spicy mayo.
Enjoy immediatelyโฆand thatโs it! This takes less than 30 minutes to make and itโs delicious and fun! All those fresh herbs really make the difference.
Looking for other quick weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites:
Sheet Pan Poblano Chicken Fajitaย Bowls.
Cauliflower Tzatziki Bowls with Sweet Potato Fries
30 Minute Garlic Butter Chicken Pad Thai
Coconut Popcorn Chicken with Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Lastly, if you make these 25 Minute Banh Mi Rice Bowls, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, donโt forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
25 Minute Banh Mi Rice Bowls
Ingredientsย
Cucumber Herb Salad
- 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 1 Serrano or jalapeรฑo pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 cup mixed fresh herbs, chopped
- 3 tablespoons mixed sesame seeds and peanuts
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 avocado, cubed
Banh Mi Meat
- 2 tablespoons sesame or olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken or ground pork
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup tamari
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1-3 tablespoons chili paste
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 cup shredded or pickled carrots
- 1/3 cup pickled ginger
- 3-4 cups cooked rice, for serving
- spicy mayo, for serving
Instructionsย
- 1. ย To make the salad. Combine everything in a bowl and gently toss. Season with salt 2. To Make the meat. In a bowl, mix the tamari, fish sauce, chili paste, and maple syrup. Add 1/3 cup water. Set a few tablespoons of the sauce aside for serving, if desired. 3. Heat the oil, meat, shallots, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until browned, 5 minutes. Add the sauce. Cook another 5 minutes, until the meat is crispy. Add the pickled ginger, and let cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. 3. Spoon the meat over bowls of rice. Top with the herb salad, pickled carrots, and spicy mayo. Drizzle over the extra sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This recipe looks wonderful. Is there a way to Pin it?
I’ll rate it after I make it.
Hi Lesley,
Yes, you can pin from any photo:) I hope you love this recipe!
This is so good every time! Itโs easy to make small changes and remake every week. I do! I love it with chicken and beef. This is my favorite and all I want to eat right now.
Hey Alyssa,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out well for you!
A great dish. I’ve made this many times for my family. They love it. Instead of maple syrup, I use honey. For spicy mayo, add a couple of tablespoons of siracha to a 1/2 cup mayo. Herb wise, I recommend a combination of fresh cilantro, basil, and mint. Utimately, this recipe isn’t 25 minutes. To proper pickle the carrots (I also add daikon), you need to make it in the morning. Once you get started and start chopping the salad and cooking the rice and meat, 90 minutes is more like it.
Hey David,
I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a win!
Have the best weekend!
Was this really supposed to have 1/2 cup of tamari? I used 50% less sodium tamari and our meat was so salty wecould barely eat it. Iโm feeling like I may have done something wrong in the recipe since there are so many great reviews_ any advice?
Hi Gail,
So sorry about that! Yes, the recipe is correct as written:) You could use less next time. My apologies!
So easy! I did it in my Instant Pot- same directions, just hit the 12 min “Rice” setting.
Hey Kyle,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well!
This meal is delicious!!! When I reheated my leftover meat I cooked it up with some cabbage – great addition! Will definitely be making it again! Thanks!!
Hey Jennifer,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a hit! xx
I made my own version of this and it was so good! So quick and easy. Thanks for the inspiration. All my kids liked it.
Love to hear this! Thanks so much!!
An excellent dinner! This was so very tasty. I served it with the pickled carrots and the coconut lemongrass rice.
Tasty, tangy, spicy, yummy!
We loved it and Iโll make it again soon. Iโm looking forward to tomorrowโs left overs.
Hi Marilla,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! xx
This dish was so good! I have shared this recipe with several people. We subbed mushrooms for meat to make it pescatarian (kept the fish sauce). Don’t skip on the lemon grass rice – worth it! Everything was great separately and mixed together. Will be making this weekly.
Hi Tieghan,
You refer to chili paste but the link in the ingredients goes to red curry paste. Are these interchangeble?
Absolutely delicious and will make again. But way more than 25 minutes
Hey Linda,
Wonderful! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for making it! Happy Sunday! xT
This recipe is very easy to make and the flavours were fantastic. I roasted red pepper and broccoli in the oven to also go on top of the bowls. The coconut rice was delicious. To make things even easier, I utilized a jar of Banh mi chopped veggies (that I just happened to have on hand).
This was very good but it actually took more like 45 min. Super tasty! Was out of fish sauce and just used shredded carrots.
Hi Laurie,
Happy Monday! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and your feedback! Sorry this took longer than expected! xT