For the love of Bánh Mì! (Vietnamese sandwiches)

Bánh Mì or the Vietnamese sandwich is yummy goodness inside a bun with a perfect combination of fresh baked bread, Vietnamese deli meat, Vietnamese pickles, veggies, pate, and creamy bơ (Vietnamese mayonnaise)...aka heaven in a bite. This is a cheap eat easily bought but if you had time, you should try making this at home because it tastes 1000x better! I recently served bánh mì at my 25th birthday party but I cheated because my mom made the pickles and bơ. This weekend, I finally had the chance to experiment with making these and the result was delicious so I wanted to share it with you today.

If you have ever been to a bánh mì shop, you know that there are many types of bánh mì with different fillings. The one I have here today is my version of the cold cut special combo (bánh mì đặc biệt).

Ingredients for sandwiches:
French baguettes (I like mine on the soft side and I highly recommend you buying these freshly baked)
cilantro
cucumber
sliced jalapenos
headcheese (giò thủ)
Vietnamese sausage/pork roll (giò lụa )
pate spread
soy sauce

Ingredients for Vietnamese pickles đồ chua:
1 large daikon
4-5 carrots
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 cup vinegar

Ingredients for Vietnamese mayonnaise: 
3 eggs
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Prepare the Vietnamese pickles because this tastes better pickled overnight.

• Shred the daikon and carrots into thin strips
• Wash the shreds with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 tablespoon salt. Without rinsing, drain the liquid and place the shreds in a colander and let it sit for about 5 minutes
• After 5 minutes wash the shreds with water in a vigorous manner by squeezing the portions tightly 
• Drain and firmly squeeze the shreds to remove all the water and set aside
• Prepare the brine. Use your judgement for how much brine to make versus how much shredded veggie you have. If it is not enough for the veggies you can double the recipe (which is what I ended up doing).
• Place 2 cups of warm/hot water in your container or jar. Mix with 1 cup sugar, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 tsp of salt.
• Place the veggie shreds into your container and set aside in the fridge. Đồ chua tastes better pickled at least overnight but you can enjoy it after a few hours if you wish. 
• The flavors improve with time and your pickles can last 4-6 weeks in the fridge. 

2. Prepare the Vietnamese mayonnaise. 

(recipe and photos courtesy of my mom at Junniebites)

• Mix 3 egg yolks with a hand mixer on low. Mix the egg yolks in one direction and slowly drizzle in the oil as you continue to mix.
• When the egg and oil mixture thickens to the consistent you would like add the onion powder, garlic powder, sugar and salt. Mix well. And there you have it, the best buttery, garlic-y and creamy Vietnamese mayonnaise...my favorite! 

3. Prepare your sandwich components.

• Slice your cucumbers in to thin strips.
• Slice your jalapenos.
• Thinly slice your Vietnamese cold cut meats.
• Wash your cilantro.

4. Put your sandwich together.

• Start with slicing your baguette in half length-wise.
• Spread pate on one side and bơ on the other.
• Fill the sandwich with your meat fillings.
• Fill your sandwich with pickled veggies, cucumber, cilantro, and jalapeno.
• Drizzle a bit of soy sauce on top to taste.
• If you're feeling fancy, top with a fried egg. Highly recommended, very yummy. 

Japanese Curry

Why spend 10 bucks at a place like Curry House to satisfy your Japanese Curry craving when you can make enough to feed 12 people with the same amount of money? This recipe is super simple and easy on the wallet. Japanese curry was one of my go to dishes when I was still going to school because it can be made in one pot and tastes even better the next day. This dish is also one of my favorite warm comfort foods perfect for this time of year.

Ingredients (12 servings )

2 lbs chicken (or any other type of meat, pork or beef would work well)

salt

pepper  

4  medium sized potatoes

2 carrots

1/2 onion

1 bell pepper

6 cups water

1 package of curry mix

Serve with cooked rice

Each curry sauce mix box comes with two individual packages of curry bricks. You can easily half the recipe and save one of the packages in the fridge for a later time. This recipe is highly customizable, I just use what I have on hand. You can change up the type of veggies and meat you put in. You can also make this vegetarian by adding only veggies and tofu.

For this recipe you will need to buy a box of Japanese curry mix, commonly found in most Asian supermarkets. I believe the price ranges from $2-3 dollars per box, which makes 12 servings of curry. This is my favorite brand, I can't say much about other brands because I haven't tried them. You can pick the spiciness level from mild to hot.

Directions

1. Start by rinsing the chicken and cutting it into small bite sized pieces. Put it in a bowl and season with a little bit of salt and pepper.

2. Prep the vegetables. Peel and dice the carrots and potatoes. You can put them in a pot of boiling water until tender. My secret trick is to put them in a bowl with water and microwave for 10 minutes. I feel that this cuts down my cooking time and I only have to use one pot for the whole cooking process.

3. Dice the onion.

4. Warm up a stockpot or large wok and drizzle a little bit of oil in it. Add the onion and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

5. Add the chicken and stir fry until all the pinkness is gone and the meat looks done, about 7-9 minutes.

6. Drain and add the carrots and potatoes to the wok. Add the bell peppers. Stirfry for about 5 minutes.

7. Add 6 cups of water (follow the curry package instructions for accurate amount of water). Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes and meat are tender.

9. Turn off the stove and add the curry bricks into the wok. Stir well until all the bricks have dissolved.
8. Serve on top of rice. I like to also add some thinly sliced cucumbers for some freshness.

Enjoy!