~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich

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Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich....Have you ever had a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich? Well, it's a different sort of sandwich...a Vietnamese sandwich with a French twist. A sandwich that can't be found here in Montana....or at least I'm not aware of any place that sells them. I have to say that it has been quite a few years since I've last had one. But I do remember when I was first introduced to it...
My older brother had come across a Vietnamese sandwich shop, that had just opened up near his house. The shop offered all sorts of Banh Mi sandwiches...fried egg, pork meatball, bbq pork, deli meat, tofu, shrimp, etc. I vividly remember him raving about their sandwiches... how good and cheap they were. He told me you could basically get a sandwich for $1.50! At the time, I had no idea that there was such a thing as a Vietnamese sandwich. I guess I mostly associated "Asian" food with stir-fries, soups, egg rolls... but definitely not sandwiches. I remember asking my brother, " Well, how is the Vietnamese sandwich different?". He then started describing the sandwich to me...that it had some pate, head cheese, pickled vegetables, fresh cucumber slices, onion, fresh cilantro, etc.... I had never heard of such a sandwich before. Was that Asian? It sounded more European to me...minus the cilantro:). I must say that it's quite nice to have brothers who actually take care to "educate" me:)...
It wasn't long after that conversation, that I had the chance to join my brother for lunch and experience the sandwich for myself. That Banh Mi sandwich was incredibly good... it was different, yet familiar. I guess it sort of reminded me of the type of sandwich we ate while growing up. I say sort of, only because the addition of pickled vegetables and cilantro was new to me. But I rather liked the crunch and taste of the pickled carrots and radish....and the cilantro just brought so much flavor. Anyway, the sandwich was definitely delicious. I felt like I could have tried all their sandwich options...
So the other week, I happened to be in my local supermarket and noticed that they had just started selling these beautiful mini baguettes. I don't always go by the bread aisle, just because I do bake most of my bread at home. But when I saw the mini version of the baguette, I instantly bought some.... just to be able to make the Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich for my husband. You know, I am glad I did....I guess I really wanted to have him try the sandwich I so well remembered. He loved it... and we ended up having another sandwich the next day:)
The fun part of making your own Banh Mi sandwich, is that you can vary the fillings and condiments according to taste. It is worth making a different sort of sandwich every so often. It's even more fun if you are making it for a large group....you can have each guest prepare their own, with ingredients they like. I have listed just some possible ingredients, so feel free to make your own combination. Hope you enjoy....

You will need:
French baguette

Meat Banh Mi:
Head Cheese
Deli meats
Grilled/BBQ pork
Seasoned pork meatballs
Grilled/BBQ beef
Grilled/BBQ chicken
Shrimp

Breakfast Banh Mi:
Sunny side up fried egg
Scrambled egg

Vegetables:
Cucumber slices( preferably Persian/Japanese)
Red onion slices
Jalapeno slices

Condiments:
Pate
Mayonnaise
Soy sauce

Garnish:
Cilantro leaves

Directions:

Toast baguette in oven for a minute or so until nice and crispy. Cut in half lengthwise.

1. Spread a layer of pate on the baguette. Add some mayo, if you like.
2. Arrange slices of cucumber.
3. Choose meat/egg filling and add to baguette.
4. Add pickled daikon and carrots
5. Add onion, jalapeno and cilantro.
6. Sprinkle a touch of soy sauce and enjoy!

11 comments:

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

So interesting, Ellie! Colorful too. I like the idea of the crunchy vegetables. Thanks for posting.

Rose said...

I love, love banh mi and the variations you listed. My neighborhood Vietnamese sandwich shop also serves a vegetarian option with avocado and tofu.

Ellie said...

LDH, Thanks for stopping by...I think you will really like this sandwich. It's so unique and tasty....great with all sorts of fillings.

Rose, Oh, that is so nice to have a shop so close to you:)...My brother still lives close to the Vietnamese shop I went to years ago...It is still his favorite sandwich:)

I bet you can get a ton of ideas from their menu. Now, avocado sounds wonderful...I think I will give that a try next time~Ellie

Daily Freebies said...

Yummy! Looks awesome! Great work!!!

Ping's Nom Fiction Life said...

Hi Ellie! I came by your blog awhile ago and bookmarked you. I'm loving your food blog! Banh mi is my favorite sandwich growing up in Central California. Lots of Vietnamese who makes them and sell them at Asian stores. Now living in Thailand, I have to try to making it seeing after you made it. Inspiring!

Ellie said...

Hi Ping....Thanks for stopping by. Yes, California has quite a few Vietnamese sandwich shops. I think they are all over...for some reason they haven't come to Montana:).

If you can find some good baguette in Thailand, you can easily make this delicious sandwich. The pickled carrots and daikon radish is quite simple to prepare and the rest of the fillings are up to you. I think you will love it... even when it is homemade:).

BTW, I "peeked" at your blog and love your photos:) ...so happy that you also love the Lord Jesus.

Daily Freebies.....Thank you so much for your kind words. It means a lot.~Ellie

mastermo411 said...

Great Posts. I have been looking for different at home cooking stuff (blogs, shows, etc.) and stumbled on this idea. Check it out http://bit.ly/ctS5Ig Do you know of anything like it? If not, I think you should consider it. Thanks for any info.

Ellie said...

Mastermo411, Thanks for stopping by...never heard of the idea. Pre-measured ingredients sound like a great idea, except I don't often stick to a recipe exactly as written. Sometimes. I add a pinch of this and a pinch of that...Thanks for the idea.

khenn said...

thanks for the post. it is very interesting, maybe i'll try it very soon. i cant wait to try it. im craving!!

trulyU said...

Ellie,
What kind of PATE do you use? and where can I buy? I always buy there sandwich but could never guess what the brownish is. I am so glad that you share your recipe with us. Thank you so much

Ellie said...

TrulyU,

Pate, is liverwurst( or Braunschweiger)... here in the States. The liverwurst can be made of a mixture of chicken, beef and/or pork livers. Though you can probably find some with just chicken liver.

The pate can be found at any supermarket most often in the deli dept. You can also find them at various health food store...again in the deli dept. Look on the ingredient list to see what types of liver they use. For the banh mi I use a mixture of pork and chicken liver pate. Hope that helps.