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Marry the cuisines of France and Vietnam for a tasty lunch or dinner sandwich. Bánh mì has several translations but is definitely a description of a type of sandwich and/or the bread that is filled for the sandwich. Derived from a French baguette it has a crispy crust and an airy, light interior. But, don't stand on ceremony - in a pinch any roll will do. If you use a French baguette, look for one that is largish (you want enough room to stuff all the goodies into it) and soft in the middle, not dense. Howie's should have everything you need! Precise amounts of ingredients for most of it is up to you. It's a sandwich! Tons of flavor with minimal effort.
Bánh mì
2 medium carrots, peeled or just scrubbed clean, grated (large holes, not mushy)
2 medium daikon roots, peeled or just scrubbed clean, grated (large holes, not mushy)
1/2 cup Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 TB Kosher Salt
Fish Sauce (optional, few drops to taste)
Bánh mì baguette/rolls, or a French baguette cut into rolls, or rolls of your choice
Sliced Pork is classic, we've used sliced ham
Pâté of your choosing
Cucumber, peeled and sliced
Cilantro
Kewpie Mayonnaise, Regular Mayo or Kewpie knockoff*
Combine the carrots, daikon, salt and sugar in a bowl. Stir it all around with your fingers until the salt and sugar is dissolved and the vegetables are well coated. Put into a jar and add the rice vinegar, optional Fish Sauce and 1 cup water and press the vegetables down so that they are submerged. You could eat them right away but they'll be better if refrigerated at least overnight. This will make enough for 4 sandwiches with plenty left over.
Fill your sandwich any way you like. What we have done is to start with the Mayo, then spread on the pâté, then cilantro and ham. Top with cucumber and lots of the carrot/daikon pickle.
In case you want something extra on the side, we opened up a can of BBQ beans. A nice addition.
*Knockoff Kewpie Mayo: Kewpie is a sweet Japanese mayo creation which uses only egg yolks so it is rather yellow. You can make a quite serviceable substitute by using jarred mayonnaise, adding a little Dijon mustard and then sugar to taste.
WINE SUGGESTION: Just about anything depending on what you use in your sandwich. For the one pictured we drank an 'everyday' pinot noir.