This Banh Mi Rice Bowl recipe is equal parts fresh and savory with unexpected flavors of pickled veggies, creamy spicy mayo, and hearty meatballs, all over a bed of fluffy rice. Jazz it up with some fresh cilantro and you’ve got yourself a flavor packed dinner.
The Best Banh Mi Rice Bowls
Need to freshen up the dinner menu? Look no further than this easy rice bowl recipe! We packed in the flavor with some easy pickled veggies, pork meatballs, and a fresh homemade sauce. This would be a great one to meal prep earlier and then let everyone customize a bowl to their liking.
Looking For More Fresh Rice Bowl Recipes?
Then you’ve got to try our soy ginger salmon rice bowl or our chili lime shrimp rice bowl.
What You Will Need
- mayo – For the base of your spicy mayo. Feel free to try your hand at our homemade mayo for the best flavor.
- garlic chili sauce – Sriracha would work well too.
- red and green bell peppers, carrot, and red onion – The perfect hearty veggies for pickling.
- water – Just a bit for the pickling mixture.
- red wine, white, and apple vinegar – Gives your pickled veggies that nice tangy flavor.
- garlic cloves – Adds a depth of flavor.
- ground pork – The meatball base.
- fresh cilantro – The classic herb used in manh mi dishes.
- green onions – Adds a subtle kick of flavor.
- fish sauce & soy sauce – adds just the right amount of salty funk.
- lemongrass paste – An easy way to lighten up the meatball flavors.
- breadcrumbs – Helps to add texture to your meatball.
- kosher salt & ground black pepper – Rounds out all of the yummy flavors.
- rice – We like grabbing a few bags of precooked rice for quick dinners.
- English cucumber – We love this simple veggie for its juicy crunch.
What Does Banh Mi Mean
Translated from Vietnamese, banh mi literally means bread or sandwich. We’ve enjoyed many variations of banh mi flavors over the years, which helped to inspire us to get it into a bowl form for all to enjoy.
How To Make Banh Mi Rice Bowls
First, gather all of your ingredients.
Start by making the spicy mayo by combing the mayo and garlic chili sauce into a small bowl and mixing them to combine. Next get going on your pickled veggies by placing all of your thinly sliced peppers, onions, and carrots into a jar. Add the water, red wine vinegar, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, garlic, black peppercorn and bay leaf to small saucepan and bring it all to a simmer. Then pour the pickling liquid into same jar as vegetables while still hot and let them sit while you make the meatballs.
Now get getting on the meatballs by combine the ground pork, bread crumbs, minced garlic, chili garlic sauce, green onions, cilantro, soy sauce, fish sauce, lemon paste, salt, and pepper into a large mixing bowl and mix to combine.
Form meatballs by using spoonfuls of about 1.5 tablespoons of the meat mixture while your skillet is warming up.
Next, carefully place the meatballs onto the hot cast iron skillet, letting them sear on all sides. Simply give the skillet a sturdy shake every one in a while to get the meatballs to move around the pan, allowing them to get an even sear. Continue this for 10-15 minutes or until they’re cooked through and then remove them from the heat.
Now it’s time to assemble your bowls! Evenly divide your rice between 4 bowls and add in a few meatballs, a helping of pickled veggies, a dollop of spicy mayo, and some crunchy cucumber, and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro.
Meal Prep Tips
Lastly, divide the rice between 4 containers and add the meatballs off to one side. Place a lid on each container and store them in the fridge. Add the pickled veggies and sauce on the morning you plan on eating it and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- meatballs: Depending on the size of your meatballs, this recipes yields 18-20 meatballs.
- Storage: Store bowl components separately in the refrigerator. The meatballs and rice will last for about 3 days while the sauce and pickled veggies will stay good for about a week.
- Meal Prep: Make extra of this meal to enjoy through out the week!
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Other Fresh Dinner Recipes
Banh Mi Rice Bowl
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Vietnamese-Inspired
Description
Up your dinner game by make this delicious Banh Mi Rice Bowl with the most flavorful pork meatballs and lots of spicy mayo and cilantro!
Ingredients
Spicy Mayo:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce OR sriracha
Quick Pickled Veggies:
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced 3 inch strips
- 1/4 purple onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1–2 garlic cloves, smashed
Pork Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
- 1/4 cup green onions, minced (white part only)
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1–2 teaspoons garlic chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (reg. or gluten-free)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Other Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked rice of your choosing
- 2 cups English cucumber, sliced
- fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Spicy Mayo: combine mayo and garlic chili sauce in small bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.
- Quick Pickled Veggies: Place thinly sliced vegetables into a mason jar. Add water, red wine vinegar, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, garlic, black peppercorn and bay leaf to small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and then pour pickling liquid into same jar as vegetables while still hot (make sure the peppercorns, garlic and bay leaf make it into the jar as well). Let sit while you make the meatballs.
- Meatballs: Add Pork Meatball ingredients to mixing bow and combine. Take 1 1/2 tablespoons at a time and form into meatballs. Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Sear meatballs on all sides and then move around pan until fully cooked, approx. 10-15 minutes. Pork is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temp. of 145 degrees F.
- Build Bowls: Divide rice, meatballs, cucumbers, spicy mayo and pickled veggies between 4 bowls. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Notes
- Meatballs: makes approx. 18-20 meatballs
- Meal Prep: this would be a great option for meal prep – make the meatballs, spicy mayo and pickled veggies ahead time and throw together on a busy weeknight!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz bowl
- Calories: 573
- Sugar: 5.4 g
- Sodium: 999.1 mg
- Fat: 45.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.3 g
- Protein: 21.9 g
- Cholesterol: 93.3 mg
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