Vietnamese Banh Mi has become almost as famous around the world as Pho (Phở). But there are many different versions of Bánh Mì in Vietnam. Crispy pork belly banh mi, or banh mi heo quay, is one of my favourites. The key ingredients here are the crispy roast pork belly and the hoisin based sauce.
Not far from my old day job was this Bánh Mì Heo Quay street-side stall. It was so good, people travelled from well out of their way to buy the delicious crispy roast pork belly in a Vietnamese baguette from this vendor.
Crispy roast pork belly also known as thit heo quay in Vietnamese is a delicious savory pork belly dish that has the signature bubbly, crunchy skin. This dish is often enjoyed during special occasions and family gatherings and eaten with rice, noodles or on its own dipped in hoisin sauce. I personally love adding this to banh mi. The ingredients to this dish are simple, pork belly slab, coarse salt, five spice powder, white pepper powder, sugar and minced garlic. 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. After roasting and removing the salt crust, broil the pork until the skin becomes beautifully golden and crispy.
It’s important to have an even slab of pork belly with a good ratio of fat to meat. These cuts of pork belly can often be found in Asian grocery stores or you can see if you can source it from your local butcher. If the pork belly is uneven, you can place foil under the pork belly when roasting it in the oven to even it out.
