Banh Mi Recipe

Bahn Mi literally means biscuit or cake flour in Vietnamese. I first learned about it at a great new restaurant called Pho Lang Thang. It is a sandwich that has both Vietnamese and French influences that can be traced back to the French colonial period in South East Asia. The elements of French Cuisine - baguette, mayonnaise, and pâté meld perfectly with the Vietnamese ingredients of pickled carrots and daikon, along with cucumbers, chilies and cilantro. Banh Mi also usually includes pork, chicken, or even tofu.

Ingredients - marinade:
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 tspn red chili flakes
2 tbspn fresh ginger, diced
4 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp five spices
2 tbsp sugar
Juice of 1 lime
4 green onions, diced

Ingredients – sandwich
pork shoulder – sliced into 1 to 2 inch pieces
1 or 2 baquette of French bread
butter
sea salt
mayonnaise
braunschweiger (or liver pâté)
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
Cilantro
Jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced thin
Soy sauce

Ingredients – pickled vegetables
1 ½ cups daikon, julienned
1 ½ cups carrots, julienned
¾ cup vinegar
¾ cup sugar

Preparation:

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl along with the pieces of pork. Refrigerate overnight.
   
2. Combine all of the pickled vegetable ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.
   
3. In a oiled skillet, cook the pieces of pork and some of the marinade over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes.
   
   
   
4. Cut baguette of French bread in half lengthwise. Spread butter and braunschweiger on the bottom piece and mayonnaise on the top piece.
5. On the bottom piece, layer the slices of cucumber and jalapeno pepper.
6. Top this with the pieces of pork, pickled vegetables, salt and soy sauce to taste, and cilantro.

Vietnam