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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.
The details on these bowls
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.
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 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!
25 Minute Banh Mi Rice Bowls
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 530 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cucumber Herb Salad
- 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 1 Serrano or jalapeño 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
Instructions
- 1. 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
Pickled Carrots: In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon salt. Microwave 1 minute, then whisk. Add 2 cups julienned carrots and toss well. Let sit 15 minutes to 1 hour. You can also add thinly sliced ginger and or jalapeños.
LEMONGRASS RICE: Add 1 can coconut milk and 1/3 water to a medium-sized pot. Bring to a low boil. Add in 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice and 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste. Stir to combine. Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook 10 minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit on the stove, covered, for another 15-20 minutes (don’t take any peeks inside!).
2. After 15-20 minutes remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Note that rice can cook differently for everyone, this is just what works for me.
Perfect dish, and way better than this heavily breaded mess original Banh Mi that all these dorks are raving about. Liver paste and pickled crap on soggy bread? Gross. This is way better. These fools need cultural enlightenment.
You must be White.
The irony of you showing
up here, acting all morally superior while making race-based assumptions about others is astounding.
Nope. You must be racist to say something like that.
There is nothing vietnamese or banh mi about this dish. Is there a way I can rate 1/10 star for this one? I don’t recognize any ingredient in Banh Mi meat as part of banh mi or vietnamese inspired.
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! My husband, who thought he didn’t like coconut loved the coconut rice. What a wonderful combination of flavors.
I really appreciate how hard you work to create so many interesting, diverse and delicious recipes. You bring so much joy to people of all ages. I am 67 and my nieces, nephews, sons, and older and younger friends love your blog.
Made this tonight, but we used TVP instead of ground chicken (so our meal was vegan). Soaked it in veg broth and the seasonings in step one. Otherwise followed the directions exactly and it was a very tasty! Next time we’re going to cut the tamari as it was pretty salty. The salad was AMAZING, definitely the star!
Hi! Can’t wait to make this tomorrow with my friends. I got ground chicken and ground pork…weird to combine? I also notice the video and pictures show curry paste but it’s not mentioned in the recipe? Just curious if it’s supposed to be in or out?
Who gives a nickel plated sh!t about the pronunciation, or “cultural sensitivity?!” You people are all bananas. What is the carb count in this recipe? I am a diabetic and I want to know. I take insulin.
I love you, Gaylord. you rock!
Tieghan, don’t change a thing, and don’t cave.
Absolutely delicious! It’s going on my regular rotation.
Thanks so much Krista! So glad to hear this was a hit! Have a great weekend! xx
Five stars for this post, plus one hell of an enthusiastic standing ovation. 👏
One would have to be pretty insecure in their cultural identity (and general identity, period) to feel threatened and offended by a f#cking bowl of rice. Five stars to HBH simply for generating this level of indignant and overblown butt-hurt in thin-skinned, fragile, hyper-dramatic people who seem to have zero grasp of what constitutes an actual problem worth getting upset about.
For those claiming to he “harmed and traumatized” by this, or similar recipes, ask anyone who has seen their communities decimated by war and genocide about what trauma looks like. Pay a visit to South Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Syria, etc., and tell them about your rice bowl damage.
But first, get off the internet, go weep silently in your delicious bread-free Banh Mi bowl, and kindly STFU. Your self-righteous indignation over a food blog is a complete joke.
It’s banh MEEEE not MY.
People who speak the language correcting a non-speaker for mispronouncing something in that language is not being butt-hurt, it’s just a normal reaction? Ignoring it is less normal, and I think the problem is that she is taking from another culture (and I’m not making any judgment on whether that’s bad or good) without bothering to say it correctly.
Pronouncing things wrong, no big deal! And it’s a bowl not bread, also no big deal! We have hoagie bowls in Philadelphia – Hoagies are subs, as in bread… but you call it a hoagie bowl bc it’s breadless in a bowl. It’s not about the bread v. bowl. That’s a very superficial way to understand why people are criticizing her Banh Mi bowl but not all the other Asian inspired recipes she has on her blog.
The cultural identity and appropriation comments are more about the lack of respect or consideration she has for the cultures she is taking from, so little that she can’t be bothered to learn how to say it, or fix it when someone from that culture points it out. So the criticism is first that she doesn’t care to say the word right because it’s not her language, and then she doesn’t care that it’s not a banh mi because it’s got pickles and coconut and lemongrass and that’s all Vietnamese stuff right? Sambal, chili, sriracha, gochujang – all just chili sauce to her.
It’s kinda like saying Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, same thing. We’ll call it Thai. You can understand how that’s off-putting…. At least I hope you can.
It’s not about how secure you are in your cultural identity or identity but I hope you (and others) can understand how it feels to watch someone pass off something as their own and completely dismiss the people and culture they’re taking from.
That’s all. Consider it. Don’t. But don’t go around saying banh MY, people will look at you funny.
People will look at you funny for emotionally reacting to one of the 8 billion people on planet earth mispronouncing a word.
Move on. 🙄
Yeah I guess you’re right! That is strange but that’s social media. But I’m here, hoping to give some context, and you’re here too, in a comments section for recipe feedback, because you need strangers to know how uncool it is that strangers are upset about something you don’t care about. So I don’t know what that emotion is called, the one that made you stop and read through all our uncool comments, but thanks for not caring enough to read through my thoughts. The one above and this one.
There was no emotion involved. My take is called logic. This is not an emotional issue. Take a breath.
You’re babbling in silly circles, girl. Take a seat.
Nobody cares, Penny. Your reaction is completely over the top. 🤔
I had no reaction, I just explained. I was giving the cliff notes of why people are criticizing this specific recipe but not all the others which are culturally-inspired.
Interesting you think that’s an “over the top reaction” but not grow a pair actually frothing at the mouth talking about war torn countries. Anyway. Like I said, consider what I said or don’t, but thanks for not caring enough to read anyway and tell me nobody cares.
False argument. Grow a pair is about as pragmatic and realistic as it gets. Anyone bent out of shape over a recipe is really unhinged. Sorry. Maybe step away from the computer and try to build some inner fortitude and perspective. Good luck.
No, you reacted. For about 29 whiny paragraphs.
Pair: Slow down for a minute and try to think instead of feel. I think Lex is trying to help you to stop making a fool of yourself over nothing.
I’m crying
Nobody is surprised that you’re crying Penny. That seems to be your greatest talent.
You actually lifted the “frothing” reference from another, smarter writer. Stop embarrassing yourself, lady.
Your relentless compulsion to over-explain indeed makes you look mental. Now might be a good time to seek counseling.
Grow a pair is hardly frothing. He or she is trying to be a voice of reason in a sea of victim-complex lunatics. Tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.
This isn’t about grow pair so stop trying to deflect. You got called out for being a whining sack of excrement. And rightly so.
TLDR: Penny is ranting like a loon about nothing.
No, it is not Banh MEEEEEEEEEE you idiot wanker.
Oooooo, look at you! Fighting the “woke” one disrespectful recipe at a time! You’re so edgy (barf). It’s people like you who have zero empathy or awareness that should really just “STFU”. Your outdated, entitled, completely narcissistic opinions are not what’s it any more. You really think you did something with this post, but what you really only did was blow a lot of hot air that will never make any difference. You’re kind of thinking is outdated and unnecessary. Also comparing this to war torn countries and their displaced refugees?! You have no right to use those peoples plights to “prove” your garbage outlook. Absolutely not. Get out of here with that. You’re not getting the point. Honestly, you never will, because I can tell by your comment that you definitely lack the intelligence or want to grow and learn. Anyways, I hope you have the day you deserve!
Nope. Initial assessment stands. This is the hugest nothingburger ever. Get on some meds, get into therapy, get off the internet. That goes for you and your “pair of pennies” ranting sock puppet account. Look how easily triggered you are. Seriously. Get help.
My day has been great, thank you! 🙂 I’m emotionally healthy and not triggered into a frothing meltdown by an online recipe. How about you?
You already lost the argument by becoming emotionally unhinged and deeply personal, rather than employing logic. Nobody used ridiculous terms like “woke” or “edgy”. Please stop with the drama. You also made grammatical errors in your post. “You’re kind of thinking…” then proceeded to question someone else’s intelligence.
You’ve successfully made a fool of yourself. Congratulations.
I’m going to take a page out of your playbook where you stole someone else’s concept for a user name, and steal your content for the sake of brevity.
“You really think you did something with this post, but what you really only did was blow a lot of hot air that will never make any difference.”
Back at ya – in spades. Except the person you attacked actually made sense. You don’t. You just sound like a reactionary lunatic with poor writing skills, and zero ability to emotionally regulate. I’m sorry you feel that way.
A recipe can’t be disrespectful. Dear god, get over yourself.
It’s easy (and funny!) to envision you having your wailing triggered meltdown and crapping your crusty pajamas when you read Grow_a_pair’s post. Then you sat there, all hot, sweaty and twitching, struggling to come up with some kind of revolutionary response, but failed miserably, and ended up just looking like an absolute sniveling, intellectually inferior douche. Such a silly drama queen you are.
Oh, shit, you got triggered! 😀
I came here to say this, but holy hell, you said it better, grow a pair.
As a Viet person, I’d give it 1 star for being culturally appropriative (and a food crime of epic proportions 🤢), but the entertainment value the schadenfreude provides here is primo. 3 stars. Well done.
As a genuine “Viet person” I can tell by your writing and false outrage that you are about as “Viet” as King Charles.
Knock it off.
Another five star-review from my husband. He thinks I’m such a good cook. 🙂
Hi Lesley,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! xx
I made the recipe, lemongrass rice, and pickled carrots and the flavors of everything was great! Topped with yum yum sauce. We’re a family of 5 with 3 kids (8,6,3) — all 3 ate the rice and chicken (I used only 1 tablespoon of Chile sauce) and my oldest tried the cucumber salad. The different textures (soft avocado and crunchy cucumber) was too weird for her. Would definitely make again!
Also – for the cup of mixed herbs I used mint, cilantro, and basil.
Hi Karina,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this dish, I am so glad it was a hit! Have a great weekend! xx
I made this dish this week and ate it again tonight for an easy leftover meal. It was delicious. As she describes, this recipe is BASED on a Vietnamese Bahn mi, the flavors are wonderful and the whole family loved it. I make recipes from Tiegan every week and they are always delicious.
All the hand-wringers just glossed right over the parts where she says this recipe is inspired by Vietnamese cuisine, and she is aware it’s not traditional – because they just HAVE to have something to whine about.
Hi Erin,
Thanks so much for making so many recipes:) I love to hear that this one was enjoyed as well! Have a great Friday! xx
Made the dish last night, it was fantastic. For all you haters out there, go hate somewhere else. No one is forcing you to be on this site, read the recipes or make your nasty comments. I feel sorry for you all who are so angry you lash out to someone who is posting recipes probably for the love of just doing it. I bought two of her books this year, and have made multiple recipes, all of which are great.
Hi Donna,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! xx