Homemade Bánh mì

Bánh mì made in my own tiny kitchen

recipe #108

I really cannot believe that I have never had a Bánh mì before last Thursday. I feel somehow more complete now.

Today I made not a bad substitute for the real thing. This one was with chicken (as the recipe called for). Next time I will substitute a pork chop that I pound to about 1/4-1/8 of an inch thick. I also will not skimp on the mayo.

I modified this recipe but it is originally from epicurious.com:
Bánh mì
Marinated carrots
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon (rounded) salt
6 cups shredded peeled carrots

Sandwiches
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
2 whole star anise ground in spice mill or crushed to a rough powder
6 large skinless boneless chicken breasts pounded to 1/4-1/8 inch
or
pork chops bone removed and pounded to 1/4-1/8 inch

6 6-inch-long pieces baguette, split lengthwise, some of soft centers removed
Mayonnaise
1 English hothouse cucumber, cut into 6-inch-long 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 red onion, halved through stem, thinly sliced crosswise, rinsed, drained well
12 fresh cilantro sprigs
2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise

For carrots:
Whisk first 3 ingredients in large bowl until dissolved. Add carrots; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours. (Can be prepared 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.) Drain well.

For sandwiches:
Mix first 8 ingredients in 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Add chicken or pork; turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature 1 hour, turning often.

Broil cut sides of bread until lightly toasted. Spread mayonnaise on bottom half of baguette pieces. Top with cucumber slices. Top each with 1 chicken thigh, drained daikon and carrots, then onion slices and cilantro sprigs. Sprinkle with jalapeño slices, soy sauce, and ground black pepper. Place top baguette piece over, pressing to compact, and serve immediately.

Makes 6.

I made this sandwich after having a few really disappointing Bánh mì experiences on Brooklyn over the weekend. I went to 2 different Bánh mì shops. One was fine, the other was terrible. I tried a grilled pork, a shredded pork, a BBQ pork and a standard pork roll pate version. The shredded I took a bite of and gave up on. I'm not sure what was mixed on with the pork. But it was some sort of intestine or organ I just didn't feel up to.

shredded pork and something 'else'

The grilled one was terrific.

yum

Both those were from Ba Xuyen at 4222 8th ave in Brooklyn. It was a nice shop, the women behind the counter were helpful and friendly and they make a mean thai iced bubble tea. Next we swung by Thanh Đa Inc. II at 5624B 8th Avenue. Small shop, kind of mean guy behind the counter. We get sandwiches and start on the long long drive upstate. 2 hours in I get hungry and try the #1 aka classic Bánh mì. I ate 1/4 of it before I was overwhelmed by mayonnaise (and I love mayonnaise). I had to put it down. 45 minutes later I still had the ever more disgusting aftertaste of bad Bánh mì lingering. My sister had to lie down for a while after she ate hers. Avoid Thanh Đa Inc.