Bánh Mì Đêm
Late-night bánh mì; from vendors operating after midnight.
Late-night bánh mì; from vendors operating after midnight.
Traditional/'folk' style bánh mì; simple, classic Northern approach.
Long bánh mì; baguette-length bread.
Wedding bánh mì; served at wedding banquets.
Bánh mì cua is the splurge of the Vietnamese coast: a baguette packed with real picked mud crab, sweet and firm, dressed with little more than lime and scallion so the crab stays the point.
A laminated, butter-layered croissant split and packed with the pork pâté bánh mì line: đồ chua, cucumber, cilantro, chili, assembled to order in Saigon's pastry cafes.
Bánh mì cơm tấm lifts a whole Saigon broken-rice plate (grilled chop, bì, steamed egg loaf) off the plate, leaves the rice behind, and stands the rest up inside a baguette, eaten with one hand.
Bánh mì with grilled quail; small game bird, delicate flavor.
On the full moon a stall outside a Vietnamese pagoda sells extra bread, because the neighbourhood is eating chay. The meatless bánh mì runs on the Buddhist lunar calendar, with mock meats for pork.
Vegetarian bánh mì for full moon days; Buddhist observance.
Special vegetarian bánh mì with multiple mock meats and vegetables.
Bánh mì with chân giò (pork leg/ham hock); braised or roasted, gelatinous skin.
Bánh mì chấm is the empty Vietnamese baguette torn and dipped through a bowl of broth. In Cham Muslim kitchens of the Mekong Delta, that broth is rebuilt from beef or chicken, never pork.
Bánh mì with chả trứng (steamed egg meatloaf); ground pork and egg steamed together, sliced.
Steamed pork and egg loaf; similar to chả lụa but with egg marbled through.
Bánh mì with chả quế (cinnamon pork roll); similar to chả lụa but seasoned with cinnamon, slightly darker color.
The cut face of the sausage tells you, before you taste it, whether the roll is worth buying: a pale surface, only fine even holes. Chả lụa shaved thin into a rice-flour baguette.
Chả lụa bánh mì with added pâté and other accompaniments; enhanced version.
Bánh mì with chả giò (fried spring rolls); crispy rolls placed in bread.
Bánh mì with chả gà (chicken roll/loaf); steamed chicken paste, similar texture to chả lụa.
Bánh mì with chả chiên (fried pork roll); chả lụa that's been pan-fried for caramelized edges.
Bánh mì with vegetarian 'ham'; mock meat made from wheat gluten or soy.