The after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich is an American institution, but might I be so bold as to suggest a change up this year?

It involves a chopped, savory, slightly sweet turkey with a spicy sriracha mayo and lots of pickled spicy veggies.

This Turkey Banh Mi will have you questioning your turkey sandwich roots!

Turkey Banh Mi

5 from 2 votes
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 2 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
My favorite twist on a classic turkey sandwich. This banh mi uses leftover turkey in place of pork, simple to make and really delicious!

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 8-10 inch baguette, toasted
  • 1 cup cooked turkey meat, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • Shredded carrots
  • Shredded cucumber
  • Sliced red onion
  • Sliced peppers
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • Pickled jalapenos
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Shred all the crunchy veggies (carrots, peppers, cucumber, and pepper) and toss with rice wine vinegar and a pinch of salt. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  • Slice baguette in half horizontally and toast it in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes until it’s golden brown.
  • For sauce, stir together mayo and sriracha and the smear the dressing on the toasted baguette.
  • Combine chopped turkey, water, fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a small pot. Simmer over low heat until turkey is warmed through and liquid is mostly evaporated.
  • Spread cooked turkey over half of the baguette and top with lots of sliced veggies.
  • Garnish sandwich with jalapenos and cilantro. Top sandwich with top part of baguette and cut sandwich in half for easier eating. Serve immediately!

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5Sandwich | Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 810mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Main Dishes, Sandwiches

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Turkey Banh Mi

Simmering the Turkey

Don’t bother making this Turkey Banh Mi unless you have some leftover turkey that’s already been cooked. It would be too involved to start from scratch. Luckily, you will almost certainly have some leftover turkey in the next 72 hours.

When you’re ready to make this bad boy, just roughly chop the turkey into bits.

Turkey fixins.
Turkey fixins.

In a small pot, simmer the turkey with the water, soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Just simmer these ingredients over medium-low heat until the turkey has absorbed all those flavors.

Whatever you do, don’t leave out the fish sauce! It’s the most important ingredient.

Simmer simmer.
Simmer simmer.

The Fixins

While the turkey is simmering, you can prepare the other toppings for your Turkey Banh Mi. I used some shredded carrot, cucumber, onions, and peppers that I had. It wouldn’t take long to shred a few crunchy veggies though if you don’t have any left over.

You can use a box grater to make quick work of them and then just toss them with a few tablespoons of rice wine vinegar and a pinch of salt to quickly pickle them. Because they are so thin, you only need to let them sit for a few minutes.

Some leftover veg for the Turkey Banh Mi
Some leftover veg.

Other toppings you’ll need:

Sriracha mayo, cilantro, jalapenos.

I literally just stirred a tablespoon of Sriracha into a few tablespoons of mayo. Done deal.

Lots of sauce! - Turkey Banh Mi
Lots of sauce!

Making the Sandwich

There’s not much too it at this point. Slice your baguette in half and then toast it in a hot oven until it’s nicely browned.

Then slather it with the sriracha mayo. Don’t go light on this stuff!

Get it? - Turkey Banh Mi
Get it?

Then pile on your simmered turkey, shredded veggies, pickled jalapenos and a few sprigs of cilantro.

The Turkey Banh Mi, it’s a thing of beauty!

Stack it high! - Turkey Banh Mi
Stack it high!

Cover the sandwich with the top half of the baguette and cut it in half to make it easier to eat.

Turkey Banh Mi ~ Macheesmo
This is not a bad sandwich.

To be honest, I can easily eat both of these by myself, but maybe you could share with someone.

I know it’s asking a lot to change up the traditional turkey sandwich but I think this Turkey Banh Mi is worth it.

Save a few cups of turkey and make this guy on Friday!