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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. It’s 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. There’s spicy mayo and extra sauce too. It’s a very yummy balance of spicy, sweet, and savory flavors. Altogether, these bowls are so delicious, plus quick to make.
If you’re not familiar with a Banh Mi sandwich, it’s a Vietnamese sandwich. It’s usually made with a baguette-style sub roll that’s layered with cripy pork or chicken. Then a spicy mayo is spread on top with pickled veggies, cucumbers, spicy chilies, and fresh herbs. It’s also traditional to add liver pate, but you’ll notice I left that out of these bowls. It’s not something I can easily find.
The flavors combined are fresh, with just the right amount of spiciness, and great umami flavors all around.
It’s such a yummy sandwich!
I’ve 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 aren’t traditional, but a nice, quick way to enjoy similar flavors.
To start, I do make my own lemongrass rice. It’s super simple but totally optional.
Lemongrass is such a star ingredient that’s so underused. When cooked, it has a subtle citrusy, lemony flavor with a bit of mintiness in there too.
It’s 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 that’s 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.
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 immediately…and that’s it! This takes less than 30 minutes to make and it’s 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 Fajita 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, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
What herbs did you use in the cucumber salad?
Hi Jean,
I really like using Thai Basil, cilantro, and anything else I have lying around! I hope this helps! xT
Fabulous, as always. We subbed in tofu in place of the meat, but otherwise followed exactly. Yum!!
Hey there,
Awesome! I love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
None of my nearby grocery stores have chili paste. What should I substitute?
Hi Jennifer,
Are you able to find sriracha, gochujang, or sambal olek? Any of those would work well for you! Let me know if I can help with anything else! xT
I love this recipe, it’s on our weekly rotation! I go simple and just make regular rice and use plain shredded carrots: I feel like between the meat, the spicy mayo, and the cucumber salad, there’s tons of flavor. Anything with ground meat is a winner in my book for the easy prep! This does take me probably 45 minutes total from start to finish, just gathering/chopping/etc.
Also I couldn’t give a flying butt if this is “authentic” — I’m not here for “authentic,” I’m here for bold flavors and easy dinners.
Finally, my disclaimer in every comment I post on a recipe with fish sauce: don’t skip the fish sauce!! It really makes this.
Thanks so much Sam!! Love to hear this recipe always turns out well for you! Have a great Friday! Xx
The flavors for the pork in this are wonderful. I combined these flavors with another recipe (a pulled pork version), and it was great. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Sarah,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks for your comment and making this recipe, love to hear it was a hit! xT
Second time making this took me just under an hour start to finish. I was juggling a toddler and at one point had to put everything on hold until my husband came home. I had to thaw the pork as it was frozen, and I took my sweet time cooking everything. Everyone – the key to the 25 minutes is start your rice first, then the pork, then the sides. It will come together as advertised, I promise!
This is fast becoming a favorite meal! Thank you, Tieghan!
Hi Kelly,
I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well and didn’t take you too long:) xT
It was good! I loved the cucumber herb salad! Next time I will probably sub grilled chicken with a marinade instead of the ground chicken.
This dish did take longer for me to prepare as well. Especially with preparing the pickled items. Prepare for at least an hour of prep time 🙂
Happy Friday! Thank you for trying out this recipe, and have a great weekend! xT
Made this last night for dinner. The flavors are fantastic…loved it. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars, however, is time. This is not a “quick” recipe. I’m extremely fast with a knife, and a very organized cook. But by the time you julienne carrots and make the pickling liquid; prep the rice; chop all the stuff needed for the herb salad and the meat; make the spicy mayo; and then cook everything…..it’s not a quick meal. Rice itself takes 20 minutes to cook. That being said, it was delicious. I had to sub out chili sauce for chili paste because my grocery store was mysteriously out of the paste. The pickled ginger is a must…it really adds some zing to the dish. Overall….love it!
Hey Julie! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it, I really appreciate this feedback! xT
Is there a way to do the lemongrass coconut rice in a rice cooker? Thanks!