A Better Bahn Mi Sandwich
If you had just one word to describe the country of Vietnam, it would have to be "vibrant." From the green and gold of terraced rice fields, to colorful fruits and vegetables in the food markets, to the explosion of flavors in a steaming bowl of pho - these are the colors, smells and flavors from Southeast Asia that surprise and awaken your senses.
the bahn mi sandwhich -- 1 part French, 3 parts vietnamese
The national sandwich of Vietnam - the bahn mi - is a blend of two cuisines. The bread is French. A proper bahn mi roll is crisp and and crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on this inside. It should remind you of a French baguette, but a bit wider.
The sandwich fixings are definitely Asian and there is no set recipe. Meats typically include pork or chicken and can be presented as slices or meatballs. Cheese is sometimes layered in with the meat. And then come the vegetables -- cucumbers (often pickled), carrots, green onions, hot peppers and sweet peppers. Fresh cilantro is a must.
The sauce is critical and helps to bring all of the flavors together. Every street vendor has their own sauce recipe, but they generally include a blend of hoisin sauce, fish sauce, sriracha and sometimes mayonnaise. In our recipe, we add some sweet heat with our Florida Heat Hot Honey.
how to make a crazy good bahn mi sandwich
As with all cooking, the fresher the ingredients, the better the flavors. Unless you just baked them, the bread rolls will benefit from 5 to 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven. This will give you a better crust and also soften the inside of the rolls. If you cannot find a pre-marinated pork tenderloin, just mix some water, soy sauce and brown sugar to create your own and marinate the pork overnight in the refrigerator. You can use the cucumber slices as is, or marinate them for a few hours in some rice vinegar and sugar.
The addition of hot honey is the perfect finish - the added sweet goes quite nicely with pork, and the added heat gives an extra kick to the Asian flavors.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 sandwich rolls (French bread style)
- 1 pork tenderloin, marinated Teriyaki style
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
- handful of fresh cilantro, washed and patted dry
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- Florida Heat Hot Honey
DIRECTIONS
- Grill or roast the pork at 375 degrees until done (internal temperature of 150 degrees). Allow the meat to rest and cool before slicing.
- Slice open the rolls lengthwise, leaving a hinge on one side.
- Blend the hoisin and fish sauce together, and add some water if needed. Spread sauce on both halves of each roll.
- Layer in the pork slices and then drizzle some Florida Heat Hot Honey on top of the meat.
- Layer in the cucumbers, add the shredded carrot and top with the cilantro.
- Slice each sandwich into 2 halves and enjoy!
