Bánh Mì
A couple years ago, Babe and I took an anniversary trip up to a mountain cabin in Maine. Rather than stay in a hotel, we wanted to truly just get away from everything. But despite bringing our own groceries to cook for ourselves, we decided to go into town for lunch on one of the days.
After walking for a while, we found a tiny food truck called Le Mu Eats. Everything on the hand drawn chalkboard menu sounded absolutely incredible, and the smells coming from this place only convinced us more that we needed to eat there. After some back and forth, we settled on their bánh mì.
I hate to call any food a religious experience, because that lies slightly left on the border between right and wrong ways to describe anything other than a church service. But man, that flavor was amazing. I won’t even try to describe it further, because it words just can’t do it justice. You know what I mean. Sometimes a thing is so good you don’t even bother trying to explain it.
Throughout the rest of the trip, and on the way home, my brain was going crazy with replication possibilities. I think I came close with a razor thin margin. The meat for this bánh mì is lemongrass marinated pork shoulder that’s quickly pan fried in its own juices. Add in pickled Daikon radish, carrot and fresh cucumber, a homemade roasted garlic and scallion aioli, and everything gets stuffed into a fresh, crusty baguette.
It might not be food truck fresh, but this bánh mì sure comes razor close.
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Bánh mì
- Prep Time: 15 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 hours + 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 sandwiches 1x
- Category: Dinner, Sandwiches, Pork
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Description
This traditional Vietnamese bánh mì is all kinds of delicious perfection, with flavor bursting from every nook and cranny.
Ingredients
For the pickled veggies
- 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned on a mandoline to make 2 cups of shreds
- 1 medium-large daikon radish, peeled and julienned on a mandoline to make 2 cups of shreds
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 TB salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
For the garlic and scallion aioli
- 1 head fresh garlic
- 1 TB extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1–2 scallions/green onions, thinly sliced
For the pork & marinade
- 1 1/2 lbs pork shoulder or butt, sliced into 1/2 inch strips against the grain
- 1 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 stalks fresh lemongrass, thinly sliced (or paste alternative, see notes)
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 TB fish sauce
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
For assembling
- 1 12-14 inch baguette
- fresh cilantro, minced
- cucumber slices
- jalapeno slices
Instructions
To prepare the pickled veggies
- Do this step the day or night before making the sandwiches. Combine the julienned veggies, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Use your hands to massage the salt and sugar into them until the granules have dissolved and you can’t feel them anymore. Add the veggies, salt and sugar liquid into a quart sized mason jar, and pour over the water and rice vinegar. Seal and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
To prepare the aioli
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Using a sharp knife, slice off the top of the garlic head, drizzle with the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Wrap it in tin foil and roast for one hour. Unwrap and allow to cool for 10 minutes before chilling in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the garlic from the fridge and remove the soft cloves to a bowl. Mash with a fork until creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth and combined. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until needed.
To make the pork and assemble the sandwiches
- Combine the white pepper, salt, lemongrass, shallot, garlic and sugar in a food processor. Process until a paste forms. Remove to a large bowl, and whisk in the fish sauce and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the sliced pork shoulder and turn to coat all the sides. Cover and marinate for at least three hours and up to 12. Be sure to turn the meat once or twice.
- When the meat has finished marinating, drain the excess marinade away and set the pork aside. Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil to a skillet, and heat on medium high until the oil is shimmering and begins to smoke slightly. Work in batches and add the marinated pork, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side. The pork will form a dark crust, this is normal! Repeat for the remaining strips of pork.
- Slice the baguette in half, and then slice each half horizontally to create two sandwich slices. Spread the aioli on each cut side (4 total) and pile with hot pork, pickled veggies, fresh cilantro, cucumber and jalapeno slices.
Notes
It’s a good idea to make the aioli a couple days ahead of time to really allow the flavors to get to know each other and deepen.
When preparing the lemongrass for the marinade, only use the bottom 4-5 inches with the stalks and discard the leaves. If you don’t want to mess with stalks, you can usually find lemongrass paste in the produce section.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 641
- Sugar: 31 g
- Sodium: 2621.1 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.8 g
- Fiber: 2.2 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 39.8 mg
The best bread for this crazy good bánh mì? A baguette that’s crisp and crunchy on the outside with a deliciously tender crumb on the inside. Stay tuned for a tutorial!
Until next time!
