Is there any more perfect food than the sandwich? Seriously, it offers everything you need in a handheld device. When you think about it, the sandwich really is the iPhone of the culinary world. Sadly, we rarely venture beyond roasted turkey or PB and J in this country, which is sad because there are so many great sandwiches from other lands just waiting for us to find and devour. One such sandwich is the Vietnamese Banh Mi, which has been all the rage in food circles of late. I was intrigued at first glance, but never got around to making one up. After all, there are some unusual components. For those who do not know, a Banh Mi consists of:
1) French Baguette brought to Vietnam by French settlers - I made my own only because I wanted it to be whole grain, you can just get a french baguette from a bakery
2) Grilled Meat, any kind will do - I chose pork tenderloin, because it's delicious and only contains 3g of fat per serving.
3) Pickled Vegetables, usually carrots and daikon - I could not find daikon so I used carrots and jicama. Daikon, being of the radish family, is a little spicier than the jicama, but the textures are similar, and I think the jicama was a good replacement. You could also try a red radish which is much more spicy than a daikon.
4) Mayo - I used light mayo of course and jazzed it up with some Asian ingredients.
5) Fresh Vegetables, usually cucumber- I am not a huge fan of cucumber so I decided to go with cabbage and made a slaw out of the cabbage and mayo mixture. That will be going into rotation this summer as the world's most awesome coleslaw!
Finally, I decided to give it a shot and make it healthy at the same time. We were so not disappointed! Even though I had to start prepping ingredients 3 days ahead of time, the sandwich ended up being a delight in taste and texture. First, you bite down through the super crusty french bread, then you get the spicy juiciness of the meat and the ever so pleasant sour-crispness from the pickled veg, and oooohhhh baby!! I am salivating as I type this it was so damn good, so good in fact that Erin requested I make it again the next night. Maybe it's the incredible combination of flavors or maybe it's the awesome name, Banh Mi, but there is just something about this sandwich. Give it a try. I would love to know what you think. Enjoy!
Banh Mi (4 servings)
Pickled Vegetation - Make 3-5 days ahead of time
1 Lg Carrot, Julienned
1/2 Sm Jicama, Julienned
Brine:
1 Cup Water
1 TBSP Distilled white vinegar
1 TBSP Sugar
2 tsp Salt
pinch Red Pepper Flake
Place julienned vegetables into a jar with a tight fitting lid. Mix brine ingredients together and pour over vegetables to cover. Let pickle for 3-5 days, the longer you go the more sour the pickle will become.
Coleslaw
1/4 Cup Mayo
1 tsp Sriracha
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Mirin
1/2 tsp Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Fish Sauce
1/4-1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
2 Cups Shredded Coleslaw Mix
Mix together the first 8 ingredients, until well combined. Add shredded cabbage and stir until well coated. This is a little heavier on the dressing than a standard coleslaw but it is meant to go with the sandwich, if making as a side, use only about half of the dressing mix.
Meat: (3 hours to 24 hours prior to cooking)
1 Pork Tenderloin
Marinade:
1 tsp Sesame Oil
4 TBSP Mirin
2 TBSP White Whine Vinegar
2 TBSP Fish Sauce
3 tsp Sriracha (more if you like it really hot)
1 2inch Piece of Lemongrass, chopped fine
2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
2 TBSP Sugar
2 TBSP Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Bread
2 French Baguettes
Whisk together the Marinade ingredients until the sugar is dissolved. Place pork and marinade into a zip-top bag and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or even better, overnight.
Start a chimney full of natural lump charcoal and preheat your grill for at least 15 minutes. You'll know it is ready when you can only hold your hand over the grill great for about 5 seconds. Clean the grill with a grill brush and oil the greats with a folded paper towel dipped in vegetable oil.
Remove meat from marinade and place directly onto the grate, grill for about 3-4 minutes per side, until the pork tenderloin is medium. (140-145 degrees). After the pork tenderloin reaches 145 degrees, remove it from the grill and cover with foil, let rest for 10 minutes. While the pork is resting cut the bread in half horizontally and tunnel out the inside of the bread, heat the bread on the grill or under the broiler until toasty and crunchy 5-10 minutes, keep an eye on it so it does not burn.
Slice the pork in 1/4 inch slices and layer on the bottom of the bread, top the pork with the pickled vegetables and coleslaw and top with the top half of the bread. Slice into individual portions and devour.
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