vietnamese banh mi sandwich

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Seduction Meals is pleased to present the fifth of a six-part series: Vietnamese Splendor by Tastemaker and Trendsetter, Moshe Aeylon. 

“Sandwiches are my comfort food…each culture & cuisine has their own version, from hot dogs, to Panini’s, I love them all.  I was surprised how delicious and sophisticated the Vietnamese version of this street food was. Pate? Who knew? Flavors dancing in my mouth…YUMM!”

Banh Mi Sandwich
A mix of French and Vietnamese cultures, Banh Mi are baguette sandwiches that are made with two main ingredients: the french influenced baguette and savory Vietnamese fillings that make up this deliciously unique sandwich. During the French colonization in IndoChina; France brought the bread and pate, and the Vietnamese added their culinary magic with unique flavors of thinly sliced pickled carrots and daikon, onions, cucumbers, cilantro, jalapeño peppers and meat or tofu.  In the United States, this typical Vietnamese sandwich is known as the bánh mì thit and it is often made with broiled pork and goose liver pate.

banh_mi_sandwich_1.jpgBanh Mi Sandwich
Recipe and Photography by Moshe Aelyon
Adapted from a recipe by Andrea Nguyen

Ingredients

  • 1 petite baguette roll or 7-inch section cut large baguette
  • mayonnaise (preferably homemade if possible)
  • Maggi seasoning or sauce soy
  • Your choice of bold flavored meat or tofu sliced, room temperature (pork, chicken, pate, or any cold cut combo)
  • 3-4 cucumber strips, seeded, pickling or English variety preferred
  • 2-3 sprigs of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 3-4 thinly sliced jalapeño peppers
  • Everyday daikon and carrot pickle (do chua)

Preparation

  1. Slit the bread lengthwise, and then use your fingers or a bread knife to hollow out the insides, making a trough in both halves.
  2. Discard the insides or save it for another use, such as breadcrumbs. If preferred, crisp up the bread in a toaster oven preheated to 325ºF, and then let it cool for a minute before proceeding.
  3. Generously spread the inside with mayonnaise.
  4. Drizzle in some Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce.
  5. Start from the bottom portion of bread to layer in the remaining ingredients. (As with all sandwiches, you’ll eventually develop an order for layering the filling so as to maximize the interaction between flavors and textures.)
  6. Close the sandwich, cut it in half crosswise for easy eating, and enjoy.