Elevate Your Burgers By Taking Inspiration From The Bánh Mì

After you've learned how to make the perfect burger, you may be wondering, "what next?" It's time to turn to the toppings. The perfect grind, patty, grill, and bun get you most of the way there, but if you're looking for a new way to level-up your burger, consider a Vietnamese classic — the bánh mì.

An assortment of pickled veggies, tangy sauce, cilantro, and a smear of pâté, bánh mì toppings are perfectly compatible with almost any burger. The tangy crunch of the veggies is particularly perfect for burgers since they act as a flavorful substitute for classic dill pickles. The sauce, cilantro, and pâté are all subtle enough to work with grilled ground beef, but tasty enough to cut through the flavor of even the most heavily spiced black bean patty.

The best part? Aside from the pâté, you can make all the toppings at home! Learning how to make bánh mì pickles lets you pick the veggies yourself and adjust their acid to your tastes, while also giving you the chance to throw in additions of your own like red onion or bell peppers. There are many variations on the bánh mì recipe, so if you don't like certain flavors, you don't need to include them. Just substitute them with something else you'd prefer for a dynamite burger unlike anything else.

There are dozens of toppings for bánh mì, so you may have to sift through some recipes before you find the ones you like for your innovative burger variant. Always remember that recipes can be adjusted, especially when they're adapted to something like burgers. If you're making bánh mì pickles at home, the first step is deciding how thick you want the vegetables. For a burger, it's best to go thinner rather than thicker. The pickling process softens thin veggies up enough that they can lay flat and compressed on a patty while still retaining a satisfying, crunchy texture.

Mayonnaise comprises most bánh mì sauce bases. However, when cold mayo hits a hot bun, it melts and becomes runny. If you're toasting your bun, let it cool a bit before applying the sauce. To add some heat and tang to it, mix in some Sriracha to taste. Pâté may not be for everyone, but it adds a nice, meaty umami flavor and is a mainstay for many bánh mì recipes. Add a light smear to each bun before the sauce, spreading it evenly all the way to the edges.

If you skip the pâté, consider adding some Maggi sauce. It's essentially glutinous liquid umami that tastes similar to soy sauce and pairs beautifully with burger patties and pickled veggies. Finally, sprinkle some cilantro either directly onto the sauced buns or over the pickled veggies before the sandwich is fully assembled for a delightful finishing touch.