Build a fresh Vietnamese chicken banh mi sandwich
From the chaotic crannies of Hanoi to the sleepy beach town of Doc Let, Vietnam is a street-food lover’s utopia. Stalls stud street corners and markets fill city plots, offering handheld snacks ranging from rice paper rolls to marinated pork skewers. A popular street-food snack that has found overwhelming popularity internationally is the classic banh mi. Combining the French influence of the baguette with the balanced Vietnamese flavours of the fillings, this travelling sandwich is a street-food staple. Fillings can vary depending on taste, but typically include fermented vegetables, meat, coriander and mayonnaise. In the recipe below, we’ve opted for chicken dressed up in a variety of condiments.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1.5 tablespoons sugar
salt and pepper
peanut oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
500 g chicken thighs
2 carrots
2 daikon radishes
1 cup white vinegar
2 pickles
1 large cucumber
large handful of lettuce
4 mini baguettes
mayonnaise
soy sauce
small bunch of coriander, washed
1 chilli, thinly sliced
TO MAKE
First, prepare your banh mi filling. In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon each of the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper, as well as 1.5 tablespoons of peanut oil and the crushed garlic clove. Chop the chicken into pieces, then add to the bowl. Stir to coat, then cover and marinate in the fridge for about an hour.
Heat a little peanut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken and cook well. Once cooked through, set aside.
Julienne the carrots and radishes, then place in a small pan over low heat and submerge in vinegar. Add half a tablespoon each of salt and sugar, adjusting the amount to suit your personal taste. Stir slowly until the crystals dissolve. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Slice the pickles and cucumber, and tear the lettuce into smaller pieces.
Run a bread knife down the middle of each mini baguette. Spread mayonnaise generously along both sides of the roll, add a few drops of soy sauce and season with salt and pepper. Layer the bread with the chicken, pickles, cucumber, lettuce and the drained carrot and radish mixture. Add a few slices of chilli and sprigs of coriander, then close the bun and serve immediately.
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