Rainbow Banh Mi Hot Dog Recipe

Hot dogs are always a popular summer dish at cookouts, picnics, and other outdoor get-togethers since they're tasty, relatively cheap, and easy to cook. As good as tender smoky franks are when served with standard condiments like ketchup and mustard, they also present the perfect blank canvas for fun additions and toppings. Developer Tess Le Moing upgrades the dish with a brightly-colored, banh mi-inspired makeover that she says will let you "rainbow-fy your summer barbecues or bring a dish to your next Pride Month event."

This banh mi-inspired hot dog recipe is what Le Moing calls "a showstopper" with its rainbow array of colors, but the dogs don't just have visual appeal. The flavors, too, cover the spectrum, with the fish sauce bringing funky, salty umami, while coconut sugar adds a caramel sweetness. The lime juice covers the sour angle and also helps to quick-pickle the crunchy vegetables used as a topping. As a final touch, basil, cilantro, and mint make for a verdant garnish with fresh herbal flavor, while thin-sliced chiles add a touch of heat. To make the hot dogs into a meal, you can pair them with typical sides like fries or onion rings, but they'd also taste great with a bowl of chicken pho or some Vietnamese-inspired shrimp spring rolls.

The main ingredients in these rainbow dogs are hot dogs (of course) and buns, while the colorful toppings include a carrot, a yellow bell pepper, purple cabbage, a cucumber, pink radishes, Thai chiles, cilantro, mint, and basil. Additional ingredients needed for this recipe include fish sauce (soy or tamari can be substituted), coconut sugar (brown sugar or honey will also work), lime juice and zest, salt, mayonnaise, sriracha, and neutral cooking oil.

Whisk the fish sauce, coconut sugar, lime juice, and salt in a shallow bowl until the sugar and salt have dissolved.

Marinate the carrots, yellow bell peppers, and purple cabbage in the fish sauce mixture, leaving them separated, while you prep the other ingredients.

Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise, sriracha, and lime zest together in a small bowl. Set aside for serving.

Use a paring knife to score the hot dogs, making several diagonal slits across the surface.

In a small 8-inch skillet over medium heat, heat the oil, add the hot dogs, score-side down, and cook, turning regularly, until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the hot dogs to a paper towel-lined plate.

Spread the bottom half of the hot dog buns with spicy mayo.

Place the purple cabbage on top of the mayo, followed by the fresh herbs, and then the cucumbers.

Add the hot dog then top with carrots, yellow peppers, and radish slices.

Garnish with sliced Thai chiles and serve.

While this sandwich — if, indeed, a hot dog can be called such a thing — is similar to a classic banh mi, this Vietnamese dish is typically made with roast pork and chicken liver pate instead of sausages. The first banh mi date back to the time when Vietnam was colonized by the French, and the phrase translates to "wheat bread" since they're served on baguettes instead of buns. While the bread was introduced in the early 1900s, the sandwiches evolved later in the century.

By the 1980s, banh mi were really starting to catch on in the U.S., at least in Vietnamese immigrant communities. By now, they're such a mainstream staple that banh mi-inspired toppings including carrots, cilantro, jalapeños, and Vietnamese-style mayonnaise can be found on other types of sandwiches as well as salads and noodle bowls. Banh mi hot dogs are even sold by concessions stands at MLB stadiums including Nationals Park and Target Field.

Fish sauce is a key ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking. It is made from salted fermented fish and has a distinctive fishy, umami flavor. It's added to soups, stews, and sauces, and used as a marinade or even a condiment on the side of the finished dish. Fish sauce adds a salty, savory depth to the quick-pickled vegetables. If you can't find fish sauce or are looking for a vegetarian alternative, you can substitute soy sauce or tamari. If you're making a vegetarian version of this sandwich, you can try using veggie dogs. Another option is to make marinated tofu steaks, as tofu is a common ingredient in vegetarian banh mi.

Coconut sugar, which is also commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, is an unrefined natural sweetener that has a nutty and caramel-y sweetness. It is made from the sap of coconut palms, and you can find it in crystal form or as a solid block. In this recipe, its sweet warmth balances the tangy umami of the fish paste and limes. If you don't have coconut sugar, you can use Demerara sugar, turbinado sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey.