Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Bánh mì



As it often happens with my favorite foods, bánh mì isn't readily available where I live. It's not that I'm crazy picky, it has more to do with the fact that Naples is a pretty mainstream town where ethnic options aren't always plentiful and exciting.
If you ask me, the bánh mì -a Vietnamese sandwich of crunchy baguette, rich pate', spicy pork and refreshing veggies- is possibly one of the best sandwiches in the world, along with the Cuban, the Italian prosciutto di Parma with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes and grilled ham and cheese. After reading a couple of articles about it in cooking magazines such as Cooking Light and Bon Appetit I decided to take the matter in my hands and make it home. It was a hit and it's fairly simple to make once you buy a couple of ingredients from your local Asian market.

BANH MI
Makes 4 sandwiches

1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup grated peeled daikon radish
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Salt
4 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 baguettes
Thin cucumber slices
Fresh cilantro sprigs
2 thinly sliced green onions
1 thinly sliced jalapeño pepper

Combine carrot, radish, vinegar, brown sugar and salt to taste, cover and let stand at least 15 minutes. Drain.

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix chili garlic sauce and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, stir well. Sprinkle the pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt and baste with 2 tablespoons of the chili garlic sauce mixture. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

Combine mayonnaise and remaining chili garlic sauce mixture.

Cut each baguette horizontally, cutting to, but not through, the other side. Spread mayonnaise mixture inside baguettes. Thinly slice pork; divide pork between baguettes. Top with carrot mixture. Arrange cucumber slices and cilantro sprigs on each baguette. Top with onions and jalapeño. Press top gently to close; cut each baguette into 4 equal servings and press in panini press if desired.

7 comments:

  1. I've been seeing this sandwich a lot in blog world lately. I've never had it, but it looks incredible!

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  2. This looks great. The list of ingredients reminds me of those wraps with the rice paper. I can't remember what they are called!

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  3. Faith,
    it's definitely worth a try. It's really amazing, spicy and savory and satisfying!

    Kim,
    the first time I had it I thought the same thing, it reminded me of those delicious Vietnamese summer rolls!

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  4. I've been craving some banh mi for a long time. I finally found a restaurant that serves them here. The flavor combination of banh mi is absolutely amazing, there's really nothing like it. I really need to try this recipe though, it seems easy enough!

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  5. Kika, this recipe rocks!! It looks amazing, I wanna try it asap - I just need to find all ingredients.
    Your blog is a source of culinary inspiration!
    Well done

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  6. Candy,
    you are so lucky! I wish the local Vietnamese restaurant would serve them... no such luck!

    Gio,
    thank you so much! I'm so glad you're following my culinary adventures.
    If you can't find the daikon radish use regular radishes, they taste pretty much the same. Hugs!

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