We love street food, and we especially love street food from other countries. Banh Mi is one of our favorite summertime meals, and it's also a great way to use the fresh veg from your garden.
This recipe is adapted from Eating Well, but you can find many versions online. Banh mi is often served with grilled pork and pate, but we like to have it with grilled chicken (pate isn't exactly in our budget, ahem). You can make it as spicy as you like, with the addition of fresh chilis (or, like me, have it without). You can make extra of everything and have it again for lunch the next day. Add some chips on the side, or a cucumber/rice vinegar salad, and you're all set for a stupendous summer dinner.
“Vietnamese Sandwiches
Serves 4
Fresh Baguette, cut into four pieces, and sliced lengthwise
Mayo
1 T lime juice
1 T fish sauce
thinly sliced cucumber
basil leaves
cilantro leaves
thinly sliced scallions
thinly sliced chilis, whatever kind you’ve got
about 2 cups of sliced grilled chicken
1 cup peeled, grated carrot
1 cup peeled, grated daikon radish
1 T salt
2 T sugar
1/4 C white wine vinegar
Early in the day, make pickled carrot and radish slaw. Toss the carrot, radish, and salt together in a bowl. Let sit 10 minutes. Then put in sieve and rinse. Press out as much water as possible. Then put the carrot/daikon into a small bowl and add the sugar and vinegar. Toss. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (Smells a little funky, but tastes incredible. Trust me.)
When time to eat, mix lime juice and fish sauce in a small bowl. Put all ingredients out on the table. For assembly: I suggest you spread some mayo on one side of bread, then dribble the lime juice/fish sauce on the other. Layer chicken, cucumber, cilantro, basil, and chilis. Then top with carrot/radish slaw. It’s simply amazing - crunchy, sweet, spicy, herby - everything in every bite.
Note: a thinner baguette works well here, nothing too bread-y or doughy”
Enjoy!