Skip to main content

Banh Mi

Welcome back! 
Today, we have a popular Vietnamese dish: the Banh Mi! This is a really great recipe that hits a lot of the aspects of Vietnamese cuisine, despite being directly influenced by French colonialism with the baguette, of course. This sandwich features a combination of ingredients that works so well together, forming a product that has a variety of flavors, textures, and colors. And most importantly, it's quite healthy too!

Banh Mi

Ingredients:

For the pork:
  • 1 1/2 pound pork butt or shoulder
  • 2 tablespoons shallot, minced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons (about 2 stalks) lemongrass, minced
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
You could also use a mortar and pestle for a more intense lemongrass flavor.

For the vegetables:
  • 1-2 carrots
  • About 6-inches of daikon (this can really vary)
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
To assemble:
  • Baguettes
  • Mayo
  • Sriracha (optional)
  • Cilantro
  • Jalapeno, sliced

Directions:

  1. Prepare the pork:
    1. Cut the pork butt/shoulder into strips that are about 1 inch thick.
    2. In a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients under the pork section for the marinade: shallots, garlic, lemongrass, sugar, fish sauce, black pepper, soy sauce, honey, and olive oil. Mix these together.


    3. Marinate the pork in this mixture for at least 4 hours or overnight.
    4. Bake in the oven at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, while turning midway in order to cook all sides evenly. You can also brush some honey on while turning. For best results, you can grill the meat instead.
  1. Prepare the carrots and daikon:
    1. Julienne cut the carrots and daikon.
    2. Take a pinch of salt and rub the vegetables with it. Let this sit for about 20 minutes.
    3. Remove the water that has been extracted due to the salt.
    4. Mix the solution of white vinegar, sugar, and water together until the sugar is fully dissolved.
    5. Place the carrots and daikon into this mixture for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  2. Prepare the cucumber:
    1. Julienne cut the cucumber.
    2. Add a teaspoon of sugar and mix it in, letting it sit for about half an hour.
  3. Assemble:

    1. Take the baguette and slice it lengthwise, though not all the way (like a sub).
    2. Spread some mayo and/or sriracha sauce onto the bread.
    3. Slice the pork into fairly thin slices, and layer into the sandwich.
    4. Put the remaining ingredients in the sandwich.
As a note, many banh mi use a liver pate instead of mayo as a spread, though mayo is more accessible. We even tried peanut butter, which introduced an interesting player to the already vibrant palette of tastes, though it certainly diverged from the original intentions. All the ingredients balance out: there's a little bit of sweetness to counter the savoriness, some crunch of the baguette to match the tender juiciness of the meat, and a touch of heat from the jalapenos to balance the tang of the pickled vegetables. Ultimately, it's a very fulfilling dish to eat because of everything that's packed in it!

-Chefpo
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Welcome back!  Today, we have a recipe for the most iconic cookie ever: Chocolate Chip Cookies! Loaded with smooth chocolate, these cookies are an absolute treat that everyone is sure to love. Plus, this recipe's pretty easy to whip up quickly, so it's super convenient when you need to prepare something for a party or if you just want some indulgent snacks.  Chocolate Chip Cookies Makes 18 cookies Ingredients: 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened 100 grams white sugar 75 grams brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder (optional) 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 6 ounces chocolate chips or chunks Directions: In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the white and brown sugar. Add in the vanilla extract and egg and mix. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt into the wet mixture. Mix this together, but don't overmix! Add the chocolate chips or chunks and mix. Let the cooki...
Post a Comment
Read more

Brownie Cheesecake

Welcome back to Chez Chefpo!  Today, we have a delicious treat that combines two wonderful desserts into one! If you like brownies and cheesecake, you're going to like this too, as the two flavors really balance and complement each other. It also goes well with some fresh fruit and is a good final course of a meal. (In fact, you got a sneak peek at it in our Pasta Salad recipe!) Brownie Cheesecake Makes a 9" round pan Ingredients: Brownie: 6 ounces dark chocolate 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter 2 tablespoons brown sugar 6 tablespoons sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 75 grams cake flour 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1 teaspoon espresso powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Chocolate chips (optional) Cheesecake: 8 ounces ricotta cheese 8 ounces cream cheese 4 ounces plain greek yogurt 2 eggs 50 grams sugar 1/4 cups dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, blueberries) soaked in rum/brandy/Grand Marnier Lemon zest (optional) In place of the ricotta cheese, you could use another 8 ounces of c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Habanero Salsa

Welcome back!  Today, we have a fiery Habanero Salsa! Salsa is deceptively easy to make - just chop up a few ingredients and put it through a food processor - and if you do it yourself, you're able to get it to exactly the right consistency and flavor that you want. In this case, we were able to concoct a devilishly spicy salsa with a fresh habanero. Plus, this is so much fresher than the store-bought variety of salsa! Habanero Salsa Ingredients: 3 medium tomatoes (or Roma tomatoes), deseeded 1/4 small red onion 1 jalapeno 1 habanero Cilantro 1 tablespoon lime juice Pinch of salt Directions: Chop the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and habanero into rough chunks - not diced. Cut the cilantro so that there aren't any long stems. Add the chopped ingredients into a food processor along with the lime juice and salt. Pulse until the desired consistency is reached. This salsa is great by itself but it also is an amazing way to add an extra kick to guacamole or some Brisket Queso, and of ...
Post a Comment
Read more