Bánh Mì
Bánh Mì & Pickled Vegetables
I love bánh mì. It's one of those small joys, like yoga or lattes or true crime documentaries -- I don't know how I lived so much of my life before realizing it existed.
I had my first bánh mì at Cure. After a considerable amount of time pondering what to order, I came across this sandwich. While pâté isn't typically my thing, something about the pickled veggies/spiced mayo/baguette really sounded good.
Slowly, this pretty traditional Vietnamese sandwich is starting to creep its way onto more menus, so whenever it's an option, I go for it. There are lots of different interpretations of the classic (like this tempeh version at Dutchess Biercafe). The combination of traditional French and Vietnamese ingredients make this a pretty unique sandwich, and while I won't go into its lineage, foodie historians can check out more here.
| Hillary
Pickled Vegetables
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
2 carrots, sliced thin
1 daikon radish, peeled and sliced thin
1 small cucumber, seeds removed & sliced thin
1 red pepper, sliced thin
Combine vinegar, sugar and salt into a large mason jar; shake until sugar is dissolved. Add carrots, daikon, cucumbers and red pepperto the jar; seal and shake to combine. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to several hours prior to bánh mì assembly. Veggies will keep in the refridgerator up to one week.
Bánh Mì
Yield - Serves 2-3
1-1.5 pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 slice ginger, minced
1 green onion, sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 French baguette
pickled vegetables (see above)
jalapeno peppers, sliced
cilantro
1 tsp sriracha
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Cut the pork tenderloin across the grain of the meat into 1/3 inch pieces.
In a medium bowl, combine maple syrup, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, green onion, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary- it should be sweet and savory. Add the sliced pork to the marinade and combine until all pieces are coated. Marinate for 30-45 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and sriracha. Taste and adjust to your spiciness preference.
Heat a cast iron pan to medium high heat. Add vegetable oil to the pork and combine. Sear pork over medium high heat until dark brown on one side, 2-3 minutes. Flip the meat and sear the other side until browned and cooked through, 2-3 minutes.
Slice the baguette in half and spread mayonnaise on one side - layer the pickled vegetables, cilantro, jalapeno peppers and pork.