Duck Banh Mi with Cherry Sauce

Banh Mi is a classic Vietnamese Sandwich that is famous worldwide. With its irresistible flavors and wonderful mixture of textures, it’s a delicious lunchtime favorite for so many people. This is our interpretation of this classic dish that’s usually served with Pork or Chicken. Instead, we are making Duck Banh Mi with Cherry Sauce. The combination of Duck and Cherry is a classic pairing, mixing the fattiness of the Duck with the sweet, fruity flavors of Cherries. In a crust bread sandwich filled with delicious aromatics and flavors it’s a real treat to enjoy!

The inspiration for this dish

Our delicious Duck Bahn Mi came from another tasty Duck dinner we recently made. Our tasty Crispy Duck Leg recipe that comes with a beautiful Cherry Sauce was a wonderful meal we enjoyed a few nights ago. There was an abundance of leftover sauce so we wanted to see what kind of fun way we could re-interpret the dish

Lunchtime is a great way to experiment with leftovers, which is exactly what we did with this dish. Unfortunately, we were all out of that beautiful Crispy Duck Leg from the night before, so a quick trip to the shops sorted us out with some amazing Duck Breasts

This beautiful Duck Leg recipe was the inspiration behind this sandwich. You can even use leftover Duck Leg for the Banh Mi if you like!

Then, the whole dish came together as some delicious Banh Mi bread rolls were sitting there just begging to be purchased and eaten! A quick trip down the produce aisle to get some classics of Carrot, Cilantro, and Cucumbers and the dish was ready to be made!

An addition to the classic Banh Mi ingredients that we added is Red Cabbage. The bitterness of the Cabbage is famously paired with Duck, and works exceptionally well in this recipe

Cooking Duck Banh Mi with Cherry Sauce from scratch

As we had some leftover Cherry Sauce it was a simple reheat, but of course we’ll share with you how to make the whole dish from scratch in this recipe. A little secret we can share with you; the sauce is so simple to make, as is the rest of the dish!

First step is the Duck. Now, usually when we’re cooking Duck we like to dry it out for a few days in the refrigerator to get the skin to an almost leather-like state. For the best result, we absolutely recommend doing that (just leave it uncovered in the fridge skin-side up), however, for a simple Lunchtime dish it’s probably unlikely you’ll have some duck already dried out. No biggie, you can still get the Duck skin nice and crispy

Simply Score the Duck skin with diagonal cuts across its surface and then season the skin well with Salt. This will help to not only draw out the moisture of the skin, but the scoring of the skin ensures the fat will easily render once it starts to cook. Just avoid cutting too deep to slice into the flesh. Just cut deep enough to cut through the skin and fat without slicing the skin

Pan fry the Duck starting with a cold pan

A classic method for cooking perfect Duck Breast is starting the Duck skin-side down in a cold pan. Gradually heat the pan up over a medium low heat and slowly cook the Duck until the fat has completely rendered out and the skin is crispy

This process will take about 20 minutes or so. Just keep your eye on the Duck and preferably use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the Duck. Once it’s almost completely cooked (when the internal temperature is around 120F or so) flip it over and finish it on the flesh side. Set the Duck aside to rest and then slice it into strips to fit into your Banh Mi

Cherry Sauce

The Cherry Sauce is one of the easiest sauces to make. No long 2+ day processes required, or homemade Stocks needed. Simply cook down some Shallots in Butter then add some Red Wine and let it thicken and burn off the alcohol

Then, simply add the same quantity of Cherry Jam / Jelly as you did Wine and let that all come together over a light simmer for 10 minutes and it’s done! I recommend making a big batch of it so you have more than enough Sauce for this dish as well as some leftovers

To pickle the Vegetables or not?

Now a classic Banh Mi uses pickled Carrots and Cucumber. The pickling adds a nice contrast to the fattiness of the meat (which is usually fatty Pork Belly or Shoulder) and is a hallmark characteristic of a classic Banh Mi Sandwich

For our recipe we’re keeping the pickling optional. The big flavors that the Duck and Cherry Sauce bring to the sandwich are more than enough to keep the dish interesting, and making Pickled Veggies is just a whole other process which is honestly not required

If you want to Pickle the Veggies, slice them up into thin strips (julienne the Carrots and thinly slice the Cucumber) then submerge them in a pickling liquid. You can either use Vinegar and Salt, Lemon Juice and Salt, or a mixture of Sugar, Hot Water, and Vinegar. Just let the Vegetables sit in there for a few hours to pickle. Pat them dry then they’re ready to use

Assembling the Duck Banh Mi with Cherry Sauce Sandwich

You don’t need to use a specific ‘Banh Mi’ style bread, but we do recommend a crusty-style bread in the shape of a roll. Even some freshly baked crusty Hot Dog buns are going to do the trick. You do want a crusty outside, however. This gives the sandwich its hallmark texture, but also helps to keep the whole dish together

Add a few slices of your Carrots and Cucumber then add a generous portion of the Duck on the top. You should be able to completely use 1 Duck Breast for 1 sandwich, provided you’ve got big enough bread rolls. Really try to jam the Duck in there, as another characteristic of Banh Mi is its abundance of filling!

Finish the dish off with that beautiful Cherry Sauce and top it off with fresh Cilantro and we’re ready to eat! You can get fancy and add some freshly chopped Peanuts for some added texture if you like

Duck Banh Mi with Cherry Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Duck Breasts
• 2 Crusty Bread Rolls
• 1 Carrot, peeled and julienned
• ½ Cucumber, finely sliced
• 1 cup of Red Cabbage, sliced
• 4 sprigs of Cilantro
• 2 tsp. Salt
  
  

Cherry Wine Sauce

• 20g Unsalted Butter
• ½ Shallot, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• 150ml Red Wine
• 150ml Cherry Jam / Jelly
  
  

Instructions

1. Season the Duck skin with Salt then set aside to bring up to room temperature. Once at room temperature, score the skin with a sharp knife with diagonal cuts
2. Place the Duck skin-side down on a cold pan over medium low heat. Cook for 20 minutes until the skin is crispy and fat has rendered. Flip over and finish for 2 minutes on the flesh side then set aside to rest before slicing
3. While the Duck is resting, Melt the Butter in a saucepan over medium heat then add Shallots. Cook for 5 minutes then add the Red Wine Vinegar. Cook for 2 more minutes before adding Red Wine
4. Increase the heat to bring the Wine to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add the Cherry Jam and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook for 5 more minutes while stirring occasionally
5. Slice your Bread Rolls lengthwise then fill with Carrots, Cucumber slices, and Red Cabbage. Add Duck slices then drizzle over a generous amount of Cherry Sauce. Finish with fresh Cilantro sprigs and serve hot
   
   

Recipe Notes

• Remove the Duck from the pan once the internal temperature reaches 130F. Rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing
• You can use pickled Carrots and Cucumber if you prefer. Just sit the sliced Vegetables in a pickling liquid (eg: Vinegar and Salt) for 1 – 2 hours. Pat dry before adding to the Sandwich
• You can prepare the Cherry Sauce in advance and refrigerate for up to 2 days before using it
  
  

Our delicious Duck Banh Mi with Cherry Sauce is a fantastic way to utilize any leftover Cherry Sauce you’ve got on hand. It’s also just an overall great dish to make, serving as a hearty and tasty Lunch that can serve 2 – 4 people depending on the appetite levels!

I highly recommend you give this delicious dish a try. The pairing of Duck and Cherries is a classic combination, and this dish is a fantastic way to showcase those flavors

For more tasty dishes using Leftovers, check out these amazing recipes of ours:

• Morel Mushroom Risotto Balls
• Pulled Pork Empanadas
• Croque Monsieur Sandwich
• Fried Lasagna Rolls
  
  

Happy Cooking!