I made these Banh Mi’s several hours ago now and am learning just how much I rub my eyes. Because after slicing those jalapeños my eyes are burning! Gah! Be careful! Or buy latex gloves for the kitchen. Why do I not do this?? (I forgot to mention that my pleasant early morning Safeway jaunt ended with me driving halfway home before realizing that I didn’t have my phone. I drove all the way back and found it in the cart right where I left it. Doh! Maybe it was a little TOO early in the morning.) But back to the Banh Mi’s. Have you heard of them? Have you had one? The time is now! Just look at this! I asked the butcher behind the counter if she would slice the pork tenderloin for me. SOOO much easier than doing it at home. Grab a pork tenderloin from the shelf and ask the butcher to do the hard work for you! It will be hard to get it this thin at home. On the right are all the ingredients you need for the marinade. I just tossed it all in the blender because I’m lazy! There should be a 2:1 ratio of veggies to meat on a traditional Banh Mi sandwich, but if you cheat and add more pork I won’t tell anyone. Besides the cilantro leaves and pickles, the thinly sliced and marinated pork is what MAKES this sandwich. It is so tender and flavorful. The pickled daikon and carrots are KEY to a great banh mi sandwich. Daikon is a kind of radish commonly used in Vietnam and Asian cuisine generally, and if you can’t find any, just swap them out for radishes (radishes are stronger so maybe don’t use as much). The pickling process only takes about an hour. They last for months in the fridge, so if you have any leftover (I always make extra!) then you will have a ready to go sandwich topping in your fridge! Or burger topping! Or pulled pork topping! I’m telling you it’s so good! Here’s what a daikon looks like. And how I chopped it to get matchsticks. Lay flat and slice again after this step, they will look like this: Here are the carrots and daikon after 15 minutes of sitting in a bit of salt and sugar. It makes them flexible. They will still be crunchy, but will be able to bend without snapping. Oh yeah baby. Pile those jalapeños on. Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
Add Maggi seasoning sauce. This is a classic flavor to add to Asian food. Just sprinkle a little on the mayo for more umami! Put a fried egg in it. For a while there it seemed like people were putting fried eggs on everything! But a fried egg really is amazing in a banh mi. Switch out your protein. If you don’t want to use pork, substitute thinly sliced chicken or pork belly. You could totally just use thinly sliced chicken breast from the deli in a pinch! Obviously if you go this route, just use it cold and skip the marinating and cooking. Leave out (or replace) the cilantro. In my opinion, Banh Mi sandwiches are just an excuse to eat fistfuls of cilantro. Could there be anything better?? I know all the cilantro haters out there are gagging right now. But wait come baaack! You can replace the cilantro with another herb if you want! I think it would be good with basil (ooh! Thai basil if you can find it!) or even mint. Or maybe dill??
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Lime Sauce « this is soo good. Grilled pork tenderloin is amazing. Leftover Turkey Banh Mi « this is a much more simplified version of today’s recipe. Use any protein you like! Banh Mi Hot Dogs from Lemons for Lulu Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi with a Fried Egg on Top from The Little Kitchen Cheesy Shrimp and Grits Banh Mi in a Waffle Cone from FoodieCrush
