Banh Mi Que – Mini Street Banh Mi

Inspired by the popular mini banh mi’s sold on the streets in Vietnam, these crispy and fluffy banh mi snacks are filled with pork pate and the go-to Vietnamese chili sauce – Chin Su! They make for the perfect snack or breakfast!

On my last trip to Vietnam, my cousin and I fell in love with these mini street banh mi – they were so addicting! He suggested that I recreate it at home, and although the look is not as consistent and neat as the ones sold on the street, I think we came pretty close. I tested with adding additional toppings, but we found that keeping it simple was best.

My favorite pate comes from a local banh mi shop, so I used half of that and half of the pate that my dad makes for me (although I’m not gonna lie, I prefer my local shop’s, don’t tell him though haha). Use a homemade or fresh pate from your local sandwich shop – just don’t use the canned version.

Ingredients

Makes 10 banh mi que

For the bread:

250g bread flour

5g instant yeast

3g salt

10g sugar

3g bread improver

175g cold water

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

Pork or chicken pate, I bought mine from my local banh mi place or used my Dad’s homemade pate

Chinsu chili sauce

Instructions

For the bread:

Place all ingredients, except butter, into the stand mixer bowl. Mix until ingredients are partially incorporated.

Knead with a bread hook attachment for about 15 minutes on high. The dough should be smooth, elastic and pass the windowpane test (when you stretch out a thin piece of dough, you should be able to see your fingers through it).

Tuck dough under until it forms a ball and place into a greased large bowl.

Wrap with plastic wrap or cover with a moist towel. Proof for 45 min to an hour until doubled.

Divide into 10 equal portions using a scale.

Flatten each portion into a long oval, you can use a rolling pin. Roll one short end into a long cylindrical strip.

Roll and massage it into a longer strip, about 9-10 inches (Once you bake it, it’ll shrink by at least a 1/2 inch).

Lay each strip onto parchment-lined baking sheet or silicon mat with even space in between.

Cover with plastic wrap and proof for another 15-20 minutes. Preheat oven to 450F.

Spray with water and slice lines (not all the way through) into each roll long-wise with a sharp small knife or razor.

Brush with melted butter.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. 5 minutes in, open the oven door and spray the banh mi with water (this will help with crispiness), then continue baking. Spray again 8 minutes in.

Cool banh mi on the baking sheet until completely cool.

Assembly:

Split banh mi, I used scissors, and spread with pate. Squeeze chinsu sauce on top and spread evenly with a spoon or knife.

Eat or toast even further in an oven, or even better, airfry at 400F for a couple minutes.

These can also be wrapped and frozen in freezer-safe bag. Airfry at 400F for 5-6 minutes straight from frozen or thaw and airfry 3-4 minutes until crisp.