Jumping on the Banh Mi Banhwagon
I appreciate our backyard now more than ever as it has served as an escape during the quarantine. While it’s not very big and there aren’t any bells and whistles, we do have an umbrella, a table, and a grill. The essentials. The hubs strung lights for those warm summer evenings, and this has really added to the evening ambiance, it’s a nice escape. It’s amazing how just a mere 5 feet beyond my backdoor makes a world of difference. This refuge has made COVID quarantine a little easier to handle and I feel very fortunate.
Let’s Start At the Very Beginning
Banh Mi go time. We start by grilling some Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken, the recipe can be found here. Chicken marinated in lemongrass, fish sauce, shallots, garlic, and ginger, an explosion of flavors, delicious on its own and perfect for Banh Mi.
Classics
The marinade is a mash-up of recipes found in Mai Pham’s The Best of Vietnamese & Thai Cooking, and Nicole Routhier’s Foods of Vietnam. Nicole Routhier’s classic book was probably one of the first books published on Vietnamese cooking way back in the early ’90s, it’s a classic.
All the fixins’ for Banh Mi
The Bread: Light and crispy on the outside, soft and airy on the inside defines the French rolls used for Banh Mi . A crunchy exterior is imperative. A crusty baguette might be your best option or a 12″ hero sammie roll. Bake it in the oven for a couple of minutes to get the outside nice and crisp. Or if you are like me, you will drive to the Vietnamese Grocery store to buy the rolls.
Mayonnaise: Best Foods of course or for a sweeter mayo, Japanese Kewpie mayo. Slather both sides of the roll. Not a mayo fan? Use BUTTER, which is the OG spread for these sammies.
Hot Sauce: Don’t have Jalapenos? Want additional heat? Squirt some Siracha on your roll.
Maggi Sauce: According to Andrea Nguyen, this is a must-have on a Bahn Mi. Sprinkle on both sides of the roll. In a pinch, you could use soy sauce.
Grilled Chicken: Sliced and layered on bread. You could use pork (traditional), meatballs, ham, char siu, whatever protein you like. It’s your sammie.
Pickled Daikon (radish) and Carrots: I love the pickled veggies! Sweet, tart, and refreshing. I adapted a quick pickle recipe from NYT and Melissa Clark. The classic ratio of carrots to daikon is 2:1, adjust to your liking. The recipe is below.
Cucumbers: Sliced, added crunch and so refreshing, crazy for cucumbers.
Herbs: Pile on the aromatics, basil, mint, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, thinly sliced red onions.
The veggies and herbs really take this sandwich to another level. My first Banh Mi was a revelation, been eating them ever since. Enjoy!
Options: If you gotta have it, choose a mild Pate, chicken, or pork and spreadable. A recommended pate’ is by Flower, Pork Liver Pate in a can from Canada.
From Munchies: Andrea Nguyen making her version of Banh Mi
Pickled Daikon and Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded daikon radish
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, toss together the carrots, daikon, vinegar, sugar and salt and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.