From smoky pork toasties to spiced aloo tikki buns, grab these hefty flavour-packed sangas with both hands.
I was once a certified sandwich hater. But I’ve since discovered the “perfect bite”, and it usually lives between two slices of bread. The secret lies in construction: yielding, thoughtful layers that refuse to tumble out at the first sign of trouble.
Now, I see bread as a clever delivery system for a riot of flavour – a full-blown hot dinner that’s hefty enough to satisfy, no cutlery required.
Armelle Habib; STYLING: Lee Blaylock
Vietnamese-style grilled pork sandwich
Bun cha is one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes: a heady mix of smoky pork patties, grilled belly and fistfuls of aromatic herbs over a tangle of rice vermicelli. It’s usually served with the ubiquitous nuoc cham dipping sauce – sometimes warmed through – balancing charred intensity with bright, approachable freshness.
My first encounter was in Hanoi in my early 20s, and I’ve since found excellent versions across Australia. It is also remarkably easy to replicate at home.
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Recently, I had leftover marinated pork mince and a few slices of white bread that needed a purpose. I slathered the mince onto the bread and air-fried it alongside the pork belly. To finish, I spiked mayonnaise with leftover nuoc cham to dress a quick slaw of lettuce, herbs and green mango (a sharp substitute for the traditional pickled carrots). The result was an exceptional sandwich: smoky, porky and perfectly fresh.
INGREDIENTS
Marinated minced pork
- 500g fatty minced pork (minimum 20 per cent fat)
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp minced French shallots (eschalots)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
Marinated pork belly
- 300g thinly sliced pork belly, cut into 4-5cm lengths
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced French shallots (eschalots)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
Mayo dressing
- ½ cup whole egg mayonnaise (I use Kewpie)
- 1½ tsp fish sauce
- 1½ tsp rice vinegar
- 1½ tsp brown sugar
- juice of 2 limes
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 red chilli, finely minced
Herb slaw
- ½ head butter lettuce, leaves separated and shredded
- ½ green mango, shredded
- handful of mixed fresh herbs (I used Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, shiso, mint and fish mint), picked and washed
To assemble
- 4 slices white bread
- neutral oil for grilling
METHOD
- In a large bowl, mix the minced pork with the garlic, shallots, fish sauce, sugar and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the pork belly with the garlic, shallots, fish sauce, sugar, pepper and oil, stirring to ensure the sugar dissolves. Marinate both for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight.
- For the dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and lime juice in a small bowl. Taste and adjust to balance the salt and acid – you want a fresh, funky finish – then stir in the lime zest and chilli.
- For the slaw, toss the lettuce, mango and herbs together in a large bowl and set aside.
- Divide the pork mince into four portions. Place the slices of bread on a board, topping each with a portion of meat and spreading it evenly to the edges, then chill in the fridge to firm up.
- Using a grill, cast-iron pan or barbecue, cook the pork belly slices until charred and cooked through, and set aside.
- Lightly oil the grill and place the bread slices meat-side down. Grill over high heat for 3-4 minutes until charred and cooked through, then carefully flip and toast the bread for 1-2 minutes until crisp.
- To assemble, dress the herb slaw with a few tablespoons of the mayo dressing, tossing gently to coat. Place two of the bread slices on a chopping board, meat-side up, and pile high with slaw and the grilled pork belly. Add more slaw if desired, then top with the remaining bread slices, meat-side down. Secure with toothpicks if needed, slice in half with a sharp knife and serve immediately.
Makes 2
Zucchini and potato tikki buns
If every vegie burger tasted this good, the world would be a lot hungrier for them. Aloo tikki are the crispy, spiced potato patties found all over South Asia – think of a hash brown, but a million times more delicious. They are traditionally eaten as a snack or tucked into a pav (soft bun) with punchy raw onion, crunchy toppings and a riot of flavourful chutneys.
There are a few moving parts to this recipe, but those chutneys are pure magic; they are what truly launch this dish into the stratosphere.
INGREDIENTS
Tikkis
- 200g zucchini
- 400g potatoes, peeled
- ½ tbsp ginger, grated
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp potato starch (or cornflour)
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp ghee
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp chilli powder
Spiced butter
- 4 tbsp salted butter, room temperature
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- ½ tsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
- ½ green chilli, finely chopped
Onion chutney
- 2 tsp cooking oil
- ½ brown onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp garam masala
Green chutney
- 2 cups coriander, leaves and stems
- ½ cup mint leaves
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 green chilli
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
To assemble
- cooking oil
- 4 brioche buns or other soft white rolls
- ripe tomato, sliced
METHOD
- For the tikkis, grate the zucchini into a bowl, salt lightly, and set aside for at least 10 minutes to release its liquid. Squeeze thoroughly through cheesecloth or paper towels to remove all moisture and set aside.
- Dice the potatoes and boil in generously salted water until tender. Drain and mash while hot. Mix in the ginger, spring onions, coriander, garam masala, potato starch, panko crumbs, salt and pepper until smooth. Once slightly cooled, fold in the lemon juice, egg and zucchini. Test the consistency by rolling a small ball; if it’s too soft, add more crumbs until malleable.
- In a small pan, heat the ghee with the turmeric and chilli powder until sizzling and fragrant – taking care not to burn the spices – then pour the infused oil over the potato mixture and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Divide the mixture into 4 large portions, flatten into patties and set aside.
- For the spiced butter, combine the butter, chilli flakes, coriander and green chilli in a small bowl, and set aside.
- To make the onion chutney, heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the onion over medium-high heat. Once translucent, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes until the colour deepens. Add the chilli powder, salt, turmeric and garam masala, saute for another 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- For the green chutney, place the coriander, mint, sugar, salt, cumin, green chilli, lemon juice and water in a small food processor. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- To assemble, heat about 2cm of oil in a heavy-based pan until it shimmers. Carefully add one patty; if it doesn’t sizzle immediately, increase the heat; otherwise the potato will absorb too much oil. Fry the tikkis in batches, turning once, until crisp and golden. Drain on a cooling rack or paper towels.
- Split the buns and spread the cut sides generously with the spiced butter. Layer the base with a tablespoon of onion chutney, a crisp tikki, and a slice of tomato. Dress generously with the green chutney, top with the bun and eat immediately.
Makes 4
Rosheen Kaul is the former head chef of Melbourne’s Etta, author of the cookbook Chinese-ish, and a Good Food recipe columnist.
