Crispy pork belly banh mi, or banh mi heo quay, is one of a popular Vietnamese street food, is a delicious fusion of flavors and textures that exemplifies the country’s rich culinary heritage. The key ingredients here are the crispy roast pork belly and the hoisin based sauce. The roast pork belly is marinated and slow-roasted to achieve a perfect balance between the juicy, tender meat and the crispy, bubbly and crackling skin.
The process of making heo quay (crispy roast pork belly) is a meticulous one, so that Banh Mi Ba-Ye always pay attention to every detail to achieve the perfect balance of tender meat and crispy skin. We are selective in choosing a high-quality cut of pork belly, which typically has alternating layers of fat and meat for flavor and moisture. The pork is first marinated to infuse it with deep, savory flavors with coarse salt, five spice powder, white pepper powder, sugar and minced garlic, minced shallots. This mixture is rubbed into the meat side of the pork belly, leaving the skin relatively untouched, as seasoning the skin can prevent it from crisping up. The key to achieving the perfect crispy skin is to dry the skin side of the pork extremely well when marinating the meat in the fridge then roasting with coarse salt on the skin in the oven. Before roasting, the skin is punctured with a sharp knife to allow fat to render and to promote even crisping. After marinating and prepping the skin, the pork is roasted, often at a high temperature initially to crisp the skin, then lowered to finish cooking the meat slowly. We ensure that the pork belly stays juicy and tender. As the pork belly roasts, the skin puffs up, turning into a crackling layer that contrasts beautifully with the succulent, flavorful meat. Once done, the pork is allowed to rest before being sliced into bite-sized pieces, revealing the layers of crispy skin, fat, and juicy meat—ready to be added to our Ba-Ye bread.
Banh Mi Heo Quay Ba-Ye is savory richness is contrasted by the freshness of pickled daikon and carrots, along with cucumber and cilantro.
