Bahn mi moment

Flowering trees and warmer temperatures have got me reminiscing of our favorite Viet-Thai restaurant, Lemongrass, in Kailua, Hawaii. They make the most amazing pork Bahn mi sandwich (made even more amazing when taken to go and eaten on beach, watching the all tourists and locals take in the sun and surf).

Now, there may not be any surf here but I have been craving this sandwich and thought I'd try my hand at recreating it. I think I got pretty close. 

There are a few components to build this sandwich so let's start with the pork

Lemongrass Pork

1 1/2 lbs pork shoulder thinly sliced

1/4 c. Fish sauce 

2 tbsp soy sauce 

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 stalks lemongrass minced

Mix all the above ingredients together with the pork and marinate up to 24 hours. (I use a zip top type storage bag for marinating for easy clean up. ☺️)

Grill over medium high heat until Cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside until ready to build your sandwich. 

Now, before we can build this awesome sandwich we have to make the picked daikon and carrots to top the sandwich. These pickles are lovely on their own, with a sweet and not too sour crunch to them. But they really make this sandwich pop! 

Pickled Daikon and Carrots

1 lb Daikon (Japanese radish), julienned 

1 lb Carrots , julienned

1 tbsp salt

6 tbsp sugar

2 cups boiling water

2 cups white vinegar

Dissolve the sugar and salt in the boiling water. Next add the vinegar, then pour over the daikon and carrots. Refrigerate until needed (should last up to 10 days in the fridge)

Time to build the sandwich! 

If you have a Vietnamese bakery near you , then I am super jealous because there is something just so special about the Vietnamese style French baguette- light, crispy, and not too dense. Unfortunately,  the closest one to me is over an hour away so I try to find the best  baguette I can in my neighborhood. 

First, toast the baguette. Then spread a nice layer of mayonnaise on both sides of the bread (use your own conscious here- I won't judge 😉), followed by a layer of the lemongrass pork, the picked vegetables, thin sliced cucumber, and fresh cilantro leaves. You can add sliced jalapeños as well, but I prefer to skip them in this dish. 

This was my sandwich, which I luckily remembered to grab my phone and take a quick picture before inhaling it. You can't tell but it is crammed full of snappy veg and fresh off the BBQ meat. Noms! Mission accomplished!

Xx

K