When the French invaded Vietnam during the late 19th century, they introduced the baguette and began processing local meats to match the European palate (both cured and in pâtés). Throw in some herbs, fresh and pickled vegetables, and you have the classic bánh mì, although the baguette and European-style meats have morphed a bit to Vietnamese tastes over the years. Bánh mì sandwiches are often made with grilled chicken, meatballs, cold cuts, and a variety of pâtés, but the most common sandwich meat of all is probably chả lụa — or Vietnamese pork roll. Chả lụa is made from ground pork that’s been rolled in a banana leaf and then steamed or boiled, with subtle flavors from the addition of garlic, white pepper, and fish sauce. Its texture is sort of somewhere between a cold cut and a pâté, or well, very similar to bologna.
Depending on where you live, it may be difficult to find authentic Vietnamese baguettes for the perfect bánh mì. Vietnamese bread is similar to a baguette, only made to be single sandwich-sized, and a bit more airy with less of a thick crust. But if you can’t get all the way authentic, half of a baguette or even a soft hoagie roll will work nicely. Similarly, you can substitute bologna, the ubiquitous American sandwich meat for chả lụa in your next bánh mì.
How to make a bánh mì sandwich with bologna
With a few tweaks and additions, your bologna will become an almost imperceptible stand-in for chả lụa on your next bánh mì. The textures of the two meats are comparable, so the bite through the sandwich will be the same, though, if possible, bologna cut to about ¼ inch thick will better match the chả lụa. Both are salty and “pork-forward,” nearly approaching a pâté with their somewhat pungent, unctuous flavors. But, the chả lụa contains a few additional flavors, most notably, garlic. Fresh garlic may be a little overpowering for a bánh mì, but you could fry the bologna in a pan on top of crushed garlic or even add a few dashes of garlic powder to the cold meat.
To add more specifically Vietnamese flavor to your bologna, add a drizzle of fish sauce, ground white pepper, and a tiny bit of sesame oil once you’ve made the sandwich to mimic more of a quick chả lụa recipe. For a quick ingredient to add sharpness and depth right out of the pantry, pack more flavor onto your bologna bánh mì sandwich with canned sardines. They’ll broaden and expand the overall profile of your sandwich to make up for the bologna’s slight shortcomings. If you’d like a quick chả lụa substitution without the extra work, pickle and pimento loaf or a garlicky mortadella will also do the trick. Add some julienned carrots, hot peppers, and a few sprigs of cilantro, and you’ve got a quick and easy bánh mì in a pinch.
