Combining tender meat, crunchy pickled veggies, fresh cilantro, spicy chiles, and creamy spreads, the Vietnamese banh mi is one of our all-time favorite sandwiches. Here, we take all those same flavors and textures and channel them into some seriously delicious rice bowls. Turkey meatballs are infused with citrusy ponzu, then roasted until tender and tossed in a spicy sweet soy glaze. They’re piled over ginger rice with a pickled cucumber and carrot salad, creamy chili-lime mayo, and fresh cilantro. Prepare to be bowled over!
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
1 thumb
Ginger
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Mini Cucumber
¼ ounce
Cilantro
1 unit
Lime
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
10 ounce
Ground Turkey
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains Wheat)
6 milliliters
Ponzu Sauce
(Contains Fish, Soy, Wheat)
4 ounce
Shredded Carrots
1 ounce
Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
2 tablespoon
Mayonnaise
(Contains Eggs)
4 tablespoon
Sweet Soy Glaze
(Contains Sesame, Soy, Wheat)
1.25 cup
Brown Rice
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains Milk)
½ teaspoon
Sugar
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Peel and mince or grate ginger. Peel and mince garlic. Trim and halve cucumber lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise into half-moons. Finely chop cilantro. Zest and quarter lime (for 4 servings, zest one lime and quarter both).
• Melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add half the ginger and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. • Stir in rice, ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
Swap in brown rice for jasmine rice; use 1¾ cups water (3½ cups for 4) and a big pinch of salt. Cook until rice is tender, 20-25 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve. (Save jasmine rice for another use.)
• While rice cooks, in a large bowl, combine turkey*, panko, ponzu, garlic, remaining ginger, salt (we used ¾ tsp; 1½ tsp for 4 servings), and pepper. • Form mixture into 10-12 meatballs (20-24 meatballs for 4). Place meatballs on a lightly oiled baking sheet. • Roast on top rack until browned and cooked through, 14-16 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cucumber, carrots, half the cilantro, and as much lime juice and lime zest as you like (save a bit of lime juice for the mayo). Season with salt and pepper. • In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, a squeeze of lime juice, and up to half the chili sauce to taste (save the rest for the next step).
• In a second large bowl, combine 2½ TBSP sweet soy glaze (5 TBSP for 4 servings; be sure to measure–we sent more), ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 4), and remaining chili sauce to taste. • Once meatballs are done, carefully transfer to bowl with sauce; toss until meatballs are thoroughly coated and sauce is just warmed through.
• Fluff rice with a fork and season with salt and pepper. • Divide rice between bowls and top with meatballs, pickled veggie salad, and any remaining sauce. Drizzle with chili lime mayo. Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve with any remaining lime wedges on the side.
Ground Turkey is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165º.