No, they’re not authentic. But yes, they’re amazing and addicting.
What we refer to as a báhn mi is a fine example of French-Asian fusion food from Vietnam. It began as a Vietnamese version of the quintessential French sandwich, the jambon-buerre–AKA, ham and butter on a baguette. The Vietnamese diaspora brought the sandwiches with them in the mid 1970s. Once here, Vietnamese cooks had to contend with the ingredients available.
Original báhn mi sandwiches typically used pâté as a spread on the bread. I substitute sriracha mayonnaise because first, I rarely have pâté, and second, everybody I know is weird about pâté. Meat, pickled vegetables, chilies of some sort, herbs, all of these have been typical for a long time. We certainly cover those bases here.
My choice of bread will give someone out there the vapors, I know. Around here I usually find báhn mi sandwiches in restaurants served on dense, crusty, chewy baguettes. They’re tasty, but difficult to eat and an existential threat to any expensive dental work. I love a good substantial baguette for many things, but actually that’s not the sort of bread the original Vietnamese báhn mi used. It turns out that Vietnamese baguettes were made with much softer wheat and a bit of sugar was needed to feed the yeast. This resulted in a light, airy bread with a thin crust. Think soft po’boy or hoagie rolls, or, even better, Hawaiian rolls.
The pickled vegetables are a cinch to make, and they’ll last at least a week in the fridge. I’ve used shredded carrot and green cabbage because that’s what I had on hand. Most recipes add daikon radish to the pickled mix, but I rarely find those at my grocery store. Feel free to add red radish matchsticks if you like. I’ve replaced pâté with a spicy sriracha mayonnaise which only takes seconds to stir together. Flavor is best after a couple of hours in the fridge.
Finally, use any roast pork or chicken that you have. I’ve used pork tenderloin, but pork shoulder is typical. Rotisserie chicken is also an excellent bet. Bahn mi sandwiches keep pretty well. I often make several and wrap a few in plastic wrap for lunches or midnight snacks.
Cảm ơn, mời mọi người!
Bahn Mi Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded vegetables: carrots, diakon radish, and/or cabbage
- 2 T. sugar
- 1 T. coarse salt
- ⅔ cups water
- ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup mayo
- 1½ t. sriracha, or to taste
- 8 Hawaiian rolls or 4 soft po'boy rolls
- 1 cooked pork tenderloin, thinly sliced, or a similar amount of cooked chicken
- 1 small cucumber, cut in ribbons with a vegetable peeler
- cilantro and sliced jalapeño, optional for garnish
Instructions
- 1. Combine shredded vegetables, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Massage the vegetables with the sugar and salt until well combined. Put in an airtight container and add the water and vinegar. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, two hours is even better. Leftovers last at least a week in the fridge.
- 2. Stir together mayo and sriracha. Set aside.
- 3. Assemble the sandwiches on the rolls using the spicy mayo, pork or chicken, pickled vegetables, cucumber, and cilantro and jalapeños if using.
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