
Pork Bánh Mì High Protein Smash
Recipe from Mob - delicious, healthy midweek cooking · original post · full recipe on mob.co.uk
A high protein smash twist on my favourite sandwich in the world - the bánh mì. Caramelised lemongrass pork mixed with pickled carrot, daikon and pâté in smash form.
Ingredients
- sweet potato160 g
- lemongrass stalks4 ea
- red chillies4 ea
- garlic cloves4 ea
- fish sauce60 ml
- soy sauce20 ml
- honey15 g
- carrots200 g
- daikon100 g
- rice wine vinegar60 ml
- 5% fat pork mince800 g
- cucumber120 g
- fresh coriander25 g
- chicken liver pâté60 g
- light mayonnaise30 g
- low-calorie cooking oil spray1 ea
- low-calorie bread4 slice
- crispy fried onions — optional5 g
Method
- Heat the oven to 220°C. Chop the sweet potato into medium-sized chunks (this will be used to bind the mix together) tip onto a baking tray and coat with cooking spray. Roast for 25-30 mins, until soft through the middle.
- Finely mince the lemongrass, slice the chillies and mince the garlic. In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, soy sauce and honey together well.
- Peel the carrots and daikon (you can use radish if you can't find it), then use a peeler to slice them into ribbons before shredding into thin strips with a sharp knife. Toss in a bowl with the rice wine vinegar and a pinch of salt, then set aside to pickle for at least 15 mins.
- In a non-stick frying pan add a spray of olive oil, once hot add in the pork mince and fry for 5 mins, or until browned. Add the lemongrass, chilli and garlic and cook for 30 secs until aromatic. Pour in the sauce and cook for another 3-4 mins until coated, browned and caramelised.
- Drain the pickled carrot and daikon and squeeze out the excess liquid with a tea towel (or your hands). Halve the cucumber lengthways, scoop out the seeds and dice. Roughly chop the coriander.
- In the large bowl, combine the cooked pork, roasted sweet potato, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, coriander, pâté and mayo. Add a squeeze of lime, before using a pizza cutter to chop everything together until nicely smashed and mixed. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Toast the bread and divide the smash evenly across each slice. Use a low-calorie bread to keep the calories down, and if you'd like it a little more indulgent, feel free to use more pâté and mayo. Finish with a sprinkle of the optional crispy onions, if you like.
Cooking for a different diet?
Swaps that keep this dish what it is. The prices on this page are for the recipe as written.
Pescatarian
Prawn Bánh Mì High Protein Smash
- 600 g Raw prawns instead of 5% fat pork mince
- Leave out the chicken liver pâté
Roughly chop the prawns and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until just pink, then add the aromatics and sauce for only 1 to 2 minutes so they stay tender.
Vegetarian
Tofu Bánh Mì High Protein Smash
- 600 g Firm tofu instead of 5% fat pork mince
- 45 ml Light soy sauce instead of fish sauce
- 60 g Mushroom pâté instead of chicken liver pâté
Press and crumble the tofu, then fry it for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and dry before adding the aromatics; the sauce then needs only 2 minutes to glaze.
Dairy-free
- Leave out the chicken liver pâté
Leave out the pâté and add a little extra mayonnaise if you like; check the bread is dairy-free.
Swaps are suggestions — check labels if you are cooking for an allergy.
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What it costs, and where to buy it
Each item at whichever of your shops sells it cheapest.
Shops to compare
List price at each shop
Missing items
These totals leave part of the list out, so a lower one isn't a cheaper shop.
Aldi UKyou pay £8.66 · 40% spare
£5.21
missing 5 items
Tescoyou pay £53.31 · 11% spare
£47.61
missing 7 items
Sainsbury'syou pay £18.47 · 37% spare
£11.64
missing 8 items
Morrisonsyou pay £6.10 · 59% spare
£2.53
missing 11 items
Asdayou pay £6.85 · 34% spare
£4.53
missing 11 items
£1.30a serve
from £1.30 a serve at Aldi UK · 13 of 18 ingredients priced
About £5.21 of ingredients used for 4 serves.
£62.39 across 4 shops · 17 of 18 items priced · £1.74 more for bigger packs, 12% spare for later
£5.21
missing 5 items
you'll pay £8.66 · 40% of it spare
£47.61
missing 7 items
you'll pay £53.31 · 11% of it spare
£11.64
missing 8 items
you'll pay £18.47 · 37% of it spare
£2.53
missing 11 items
you'll pay £6.10 · 59% of it spare
£4.53
missing 11 items
you'll pay £6.85 · 34% of it spare
Buy at
Aldi UK£6.98
red chillies
£8.46/1kg
need 4 itemsNature's Pick Red Chillies 1kg£0.55 1 pack assumed, quantity unknown (sold by weight)
Aldi UK£8.46/1kg£0.55·
Asda£8.83/1kg£0.53·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
garlic cloves
£0.22/1 ea
need 4 itemsNature's Pick Garlic 4 each£0.87
Aldi UK£0.22/1 ea£0.87·
Tesco£0.22/1 ea£0.87·
Sainsbury's£0.22/1 ea£0.87·
Asda£0.39/1 ea£1.97·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
soy sauce
£3.67/1L
need 20 mlAsia Specialities Light Soy Sauce 0.15L£0.55
Aldi UK£3.67/1L£0.55·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
honey
£0.22/100g
need 15 gEveryday Essentials Clear Honey 100g£0.99closest match
Aldi UK£0.22/100g£0.99·
Sainsbury's£2.18/1kg£0.74·
Morrisons£1.00·
Tesco£3.50/1kg£1.19·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A
cucumber
£4.45/1kg
need 120 gNature's Pick Baby Snack Cucumber 0.2kg£0.89closest match
Aldi UK£4.45/1kg£0.89·
Asda£0.68/1 ea£0.68·
Tesco£0.99/1 ea£0.99·
Sainsbury's£0.99/1 ea£0.99·
Morrisons£0.99·
OcadoN/A
fresh coriander
£16.67/1kg
need 25 gReady, Set…cook! British Cut Coriander 0.03kg£0.50closest match
Aldi UK£16.67/1kg£0.50·
Sainsbury's£18.33/1kg£0.55·
Morrisons£0.60·
TescoN/A·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A
chicken liver pâté
£3.27/1kg
need 60 gEarls Tender Pâté Dog Food Tray 0.15kg£0.49
Aldi UK£3.27/1kg£0.49·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
light mayonnaise
£1.90/1L
need 30 gBramwells Squeezy Light Mayonnaise 0.5L£0.95 1 pack assumed, quantity unknown (sold by volume)
Aldi UK£1.90/1L£0.95·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
low-calorie bread
£0.08/1 ea
need 4 sliceVillage Bakery White Pitta Bread 6 each£0.50closest match
Aldi UK£0.08/1 ea£0.50·
Asda£1.54/1kg£1.23·
Sainsbury's£1.69/1kg£1.35·
Morrisons£1.35·
Tesco£1.94/1kg£1.55·
OcadoN/A
crispy fried onions
£0.69/1kg
need 5 gNature's Pick Brown Onions 1kg£0.69closest match
Aldi UK£0.69/1kg£0.69·
Tesco£0.95/1kg£0.11·
Asda£3.00/1kg£0.60·
Sainsbury's£1.78/1kg£0.89·
Morrisons£0.95·
OcadoN/A
Buy at
Tesco£43.52

lemongrass stalks
£6.99/1 ea
need 4 items4 × Standard£6.99
Tesco£6.99/1 ea£6.99·
Aldi UKN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A

fish sauce
£3.00/1L
need 60 mlTesco Seafood Sauce 250Ml 1000L£0.75closest match
Tesco£3.00/1L£0.75·
Aldi UK£3.67/1L£0.55·
Asda£2.61/1kg£0.73·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A

carrots
£0.69/1kg
need 200 g2 × Tesco kg£0.11
Tesco£0.69/1kg£0.11·
Sainsbury's£0.70/1kg£0.35·
Aldi UK£0.88/1kg£0.44·
Asda£1.10/1kg£0.55·
Morrisons£0.69·
OcadoN/A

low-calorie cooking oil spray
£14.59/1 ea
need 1 itemStandard£14.59
Tesco£14.59/1 ea£14.59·
Aldi UKN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
Buy at
Sainsbury's£10.70

rice wine vinegar
£11.34/1L
need 60 mlYutaka Standard£1.70
Sainsbury's£11.34/1L£1.70·
Asda£11.33/1L£1.70·
Tesco£14.67/1L£2.20·
Aldi UKN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A

5% fat pork mince
£9.00/1kg
need 800 g2 × Sainsbury's Standard£4.50
Sainsbury's£9.00/1kg£4.50·
Aldi UKN/A·
TescoN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
Buy at
Morrisons£1.19

sweet potato
£1.19
need 160 gMorrisons Sweet Potatoes 1kg
Morrisons£1.19·
Aldi UK£0.69/1 ea£0.69·
Sainsbury's£3.60/1kg£2.70·
Tesco£7.30/1kg£3.65·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A
Not priced
- daikon · 100 g