These rollups are ground pork meatballs seasoned with fish sauce, garlic, and Thai chili sauce, served in a tortilla with quick-pickled daikon and carrot, chili mayo, and sliced jalapeños. The meatballs do the heavy lifting — bold, juicy, and cooked through to a safe 160°F — and the pickled vegetables keep the whole thing from feeling heavy. It’s a solid weeknight dinner that scales up easily when you’re feeding more than two people.
Before you start
Two things actually matter here. First, don’t skip salting the grated daikon and carrot before adding the vinegar mixture — the salt draws out water so the pickling liquid can do its job properly and you won’t end up with a soggy rollup. Give the vegetables at least 15 minutes in the marinade while you make the meatballs; 30 minutes is better. Second, cook the meatballs in batches if your pan is crowded. Ground pork meatballs need direct contact with the hot sesame oil to develop a proper crust — steam them and they’ll be pale and soft instead of golden. An internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) is your target; cut one open if you don’t have a thermometer and make sure there’s no pink at the center.
Keeping and reheating
Store the meatballs, pickled salad, and chili mayo separately in the fridge — combined rollups go soggy fast. Meatballs keep well for up to 3 days refrigerated; reheat them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, turning once, to bring back some of the crust. You can also microwave them (covered, 90 seconds), but you’ll lose the texture. The pickled salad holds for up to 5 days in the fridge and actually improves after day one. Meatballs freeze well for up to 2 months — freeze them on a tray first so they don’t clump, then transfer to a bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Skip the garnish of extra sliced jalapeños on anything you’re planning to store — not worth the extra dish, and they soften unpleasantly.
Common problems and fixes
- Meatballs fall apart in the pan: The flour is the binder — if you under-measured it or the mixture felt very wet, add another teaspoon of flour and chill the shaped meatballs for 10 minutes before cooking. Don’t move them in the pan until they’ve had time to form a crust on the first side.
- Pickled vegetables taste flat: This usually means the sugar-to-vinegar ratio is off, or the vegetables weren’t salted first. Taste the pickling liquid before adding the vegetables — it should be noticeably sweet and sour. A pinch more sugar fixes a too-sharp result.
- Rollup splits open when you wrap it: Warm the tortilla for 20–30 seconds in a dry pan or directly over a gas flame before assembling. A cold tortilla cracks at the fold. Also, don’t overload the center — keep fillings in a strip about a third of the way up from the bottom edge.
- Chili mayo is too thin to spread: This happens if the chili sauce you used is very liquid. Stir in a little more mayonnaise to thicken it, or refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes before using.
- Meatballs are cooked through but dry inside: Ground pork dries out quickly past 165°F. Pull them off the heat as soon as they hit 160°F and let them rest for two minutes — carryover heat will finish the job without drying them out.
Authentic Vietnamese Pork Meatball Banh MI Rollups
Ingredients
Chilli Mayo Sauce Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise
1 sprig green onions (scallions or green shallots) - minced
1-1 ½ tablespoon chili sauce (chilli sauce in British English) - Thai
Salad Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Japanese radish - coarsely grated
1 ½ cups carrots - coarsely grated
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup sugar - cane
1 teaspoon salt
Meatball Ingredients
1 pound ground pork (minced pork)
4 cloves garlic - minced- 2 sprigs green onions (scallions or green shallots) - minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce- 1 tablespoon chili sauce (chilli sauce in British English) - Thai
1 tablespoon dried basil- 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon ground black pepper- 1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sesame oil
10 medium tortillas
1 big jalapeño - sliced into strips
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the chilli mayo sauce ingredients, cover, and put in the refrigerator.
- In a medium bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients. Let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour (or in the refrigerator, covered, all day). Toss occasionally for even marination.
- In a large bowl, mix all meatball ingredients, except the sesame oil. Mix well.
- Form the meat mixture into 1-inch balls (easiest with hands wet and often rinsed, in a bowl of warm water).
- Heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add meatballs and saute, turning meatballs often until nicely browned all over. Cook for about 15 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, scoop the salad out of the marinade and place it in a bowl. Place the tortillas, chilli mayo sauce, jalapenos, and meatballs on separate plates and bowls. Then, everyone can assemble their own Banh Mi rollups for a devilishly fun and tasty meal.
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I use ground chicken or turkey instead of ground pork?
Yes, but cook them to 165°F (74°C) — never serve ground poultry pink. Ground chicken is leaner than pork, so the meatballs can turn dry; add an extra teaspoon of oil to the mix to compensate.
What can I use instead of fish sauce if I don’t have it?
Soy sauce works as a direct swap at the same quantity. It won’t be identical — fish sauce has a deeper, more complex saltiness — but the meatballs will still taste good and be well-seasoned.
Can I make the meatballs ahead of time for a family dinner?
Yes, and it’s a good idea. Shape and refrigerate the raw meatballs up to 24 hours in advance, covered tightly. Cook them straight from the fridge — just add an extra minute or two to the cooking time and verify the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
How do I keep the rollups from getting soggy if I’m packing them for lunch?
Pack the components separately and assemble just before eating. If that’s not possible, spread the chili mayo on the tortilla first to act as a moisture barrier, then layer the meatballs before adding the pickled vegetables last.
How many meatballs per rollup is realistic for a hungry adult?
Three to four meatballs per rollup is a filling adult portion when paired with a generous amount of pickled salad. For kids or lighter eaters, two meatballs per rollup is usually enough — which also makes the batch stretch further across a family meal.
What to cook next
- Savory Pork Noodle Stir-Fry
- Japanese Pork Lettuce Cups
- Authentic Szechuan Dan Dan
- Spiced Pork Mince Flatbreads
