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.