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!

Foodie 100 Challenge: Vietnamese

I was looking for cooking inspiration this morning and stumbled upon Wandering Chopstick's "100 Vietnamese Foods to Try" post. I invite you to visit her original post for links to recipes for each dish at Wandering Chopsticks.

I'm surprised I have already tried a lot of the dishes on this list. How many have you tried? 

I would add these 5 items to the list:

101. Banh Bot Chien (Vietnamese fried rice flour cake), this dish popped into my head because I remember vividly having this freshly cooked in Vietnam
102. Banh Tam Bi (Rice noodles with coconut milk and shredded pork, one of my favorite comfort foods)
103. Bap Nuong Mo Hanh (Grilled corn with scallion oil)
104. Bun Thang (Vermicelli Soup with chicken, egg, and pork)
105. Chao Ca or Ga (Fish or Chicken porridge)
106. Mit (Jackfruit)
107. Nhan (Logan)
108. Sau Rieng (Durian)
109.Thanh Long (Dragon fruit)
110.Thach Dua (Vietnamese jello with coconut)

I highlighted the dishes I have tried. 8 out of 100? Not bad :)

1. Banh Bao (Steamed Bun)
2. Banh Beo (Rice Flour Discs with Dried Shrimp)
3. Banh Bot Loc/Banh Quai Vac (Dumplings with Pork and Shrimp or just Shrimp)
4. Banh Canh Cua (Udon-like Noodles with Crab)
5. Banh Chung/Banh Tet (Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cakes)
6. Banh Cuon (Rice Noodle Rolls)
7. Banh Gio (Steamed Triangular Rice Dumplings)
8. Banh Hoi (Rice Vermicelli Sheets)
9. Banh It La Gai (Nettle Leaf Dumplings)
10. Banh It Tran (Round Rice Dumplings with Pork, Shrimp, and Mung Beans)
11. Banh Khot/Banh Cang (Mini Savory Pancakes)
12. Banh La/Banh Nam (Steamed Flat Rice Dumplings with Pork and Shrimp)
13. Banh Mi Hot Ga Op La (French Bread with Sunnyside-Up Eggs)
14. Banh Mi (Sandwiches)
15. Banh Pa Te So (Pate Chaud)
16. Banh Tieu (Fry Bread)
17. Banh Tom (Shrimp and Yam Fritters)
18. Banh Trang (Rice Paper) Bonus points for eating soaked, no-soak, and toasted varieties.
19. Banh Uot ("Wet" Rice Noodle Sheets)
20. Banh Xeo (Sizzling Crepes) Bonus points if you've eaten both the palm-sized Central-style ones, and the wok-sized Southern-style ones with turmeric and coconut milk.
21. Be Thui (Beef with Roasted Rice Powder and Fermented Bean Curd)
22. Bo Bia (Spring Rolls with Chinese Sausage, Dried Shrimp, and Jicama)
23. Bo Kho (Beef Stew)
24. Bo Luc Lac (Shaking Beef)
25. Bo Ne ("Stand Back" Steak and Eggs)
26. Bo Nhung Dam (Beef Dipped in Vinegar)
27. Bo Nuong La Lot (Grilled Beef with Wild Betel Leaves)
28. Bo Tai Chanh (Beef Carpaccio with Lemon)
29. Bo Xao voi Khoai Tay Chien (Beef Stir-fry with French Fries)
30. Bo Xao Xa (Beef Sauteed with Lemongrass)
31. Bun Bo Hue (Hue-Style Beef Noodle Soup)
32. Bun Cha Hanoi (Hanoi-Style Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork Patties)
33. Bun Nuoc Leo Soc Trang (Soc Trang-Style Noodle Soup with Fish, Pork, and Shrimp) Bonus points for its more pungent cousin Bun Mam (Noodle Soup with Fermented Fish Broth)
34. Bun Rieu (Vermicelli Rice Noodle Soup with Crab Paste)
35. Bun Thit Heo Nuong (Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork)
36. Ca Bong Lau Nuong voi Mo Hanh (Roasted Catfish with Scallion Oil)
37. Ca Kho To (Braised Catfish in a Claypot)
38. Ca Phe Sua Da Phin (Iced Drip Coffee with Milk)
39. Canh Bi/Bau Nhoi Thit (Pork-Stuffed Winter Melon Soup)
40. Canh Chua Ca (Sour Fish Soup)
41. Ca Ri Ga (Chicken Curry)
42. Cao Lau (Noodle Soup with Pork from Hoi An)
43. Cha Ca Thang Long (Hanoi-Style Fish with Dill and Turmeric)
44. Cha Gio/Nem Ran (Spring/Egg Rolls) You only get points if you've eaten the Vietnamese egg rolls wrapped in rice paper, not the version with Chinese wheat egg roll wrappers. Bonus points if you've also eaten Central-style Cha Ram (Shrimp Egg Rolls) and Cha Gio Bap/Ram Bap (Corn Egg Rolls).
45. Cha Lua (Steamed Pork Loaf)
46. Chanh Muoi (Salty Lemonade)
47. Chao Tom (Grilled Shrimp Paste Wrapped Around Sugarcane)
48. Che Bap (Corn and Tapioca Pudding with Coconut Milk) or any other coconut milk-based che such as Che Chuoi (Banana Tapioca Pudding) and Che Ba Mau (Three Color Pudding).
49. Che Sam Bo Luong (Dessert Soup with Dried Dates, Dried Longans, Lotus Seeds, and Seaweed)
50. Che Troi Nuoc (Dough Balls in Ginger Syrup)
51. Chuoi Chien (Fried Bananas)
52. Chuot Dong (Southern Field Rats)- I don't think I'll ever be able to check this off o_o
53. Com Ga Hai Nam (Hainanese Chicken Rice) must be eaten with #82.
54. Com Hen (Clam Rice)
55. Com Lam (Sticky Rice Steamed in Bamboo)
56. Com Tam (Broken Rice)
57. Com Ruou (Fermented Rice Wine)
58. Cua Rang Muoi Tieu (Salt and Pepper Crab)
59. Dau Phong Luoc (Boiled Peanuts)
60. De (Goat)
61. Dia Rau Song (Raw Herb Platter)
62. Do Chua (Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon)
63. Ga Nuong Xa (Grilled Chicken with Lemongrass)
64. Gio Thu (Head Cheese with Pig Ears and Tree Ear Fungus)
65. Goi Du Du Kho Bo (Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky)
66. Goi Cuon (Salad/Spring/Summer Rolls)
67. Goi Ga (Chicken Salad)
68. Goi Mit Ngo Sen (Young Jackfruit and Lotus Root Salad)
69. Hot Vit Lon (Fetal Duck Eggs)
70. Hu Tieu (Tapioca Noodles with Pork and Shrimp) Bonus points for both Saigon, with barbecued pork and shrimp, and Nam Vang (Phnom Penh) style with liver and ground pork.
71. Kem Flan
72. Lau (Hot Pot)
73. Mam Nem (Fermented Anchovy Sauce)
74. Mam Ruoc (Fermented Shrimp Paste)
75. Mi Hoanh Thanh (Wonton Noodle Soup)
76. Mi Quang (Turmeric Noodles with Pork and Shrimp)
77. Mi Vit Tiem (Egg Noodles with Duck and Chinese Herbs)
78. Mi Xao Don (Crispy Chow Mein)
79. Muop Tom Xao (Loofah and Shrimp Stir-fry)
80. Nem Chua (Pickled Pork Sausage with Shredded Pork Skin)
81. Nem Nuong (Grilled Pork Patties)
82. Nuoc Mam Gung (Ginger Fish Sauce)
83. Nuoc Mia (Sugarcane Juice)
84. Oc Buou (Apple Snails) or any other sea snails
85. Pho Ap Chao Bo (Pan-Fried Rice Noodles Sauteed with Beef)
86. Pho Bo (Beef Noodle Soup) bonus points if you've eaten filet mignon pho and for Pho Ga (Chicken Noodle Soup)
87. Rau Ma (Pennywort Juice)
88. Rau Muong Xao (Water Spinach Stir-fried)
89. Soda Xi Muoi (Salty Preserved Plum Drink)
90. Sinh To Bo (Avocado Shake)
91. Sinh To Ca Chua (Tomato Shake)
92. Sinh To Dam (Aloe Vera Shake)
93. Sup Mang Tay Cua (Asparagus and Crab Soup)
94. Tiet Canh (Blood Pudding)
95. Thit Heo Kho Voi Trung (Braised Pork with Eggs)
96. Tom Tau Hu Ky (Shrimp Paste Wrapped in Bean Curd Skin)
97. Tra Atiso (Artichoke Tea)
98. Tuong Ot (Chili Sauce) bonus points for Vietnamese American Huy Fong Sriracha Chili Sauce and extra bonus points if you use it to make Sriracha Buffalo Wings
99. Xiu Mai (Meatballs)
100. Xoi (Sticky Rice)

Read more: http://wanderingchopsticks.blogspot.com/2008/09/vietnamese-100-foods-to-try.html#ixzz29OYPy6uE

Cheesy avocado egg breakfast burrito

I love the combination of egg, cheese, and tomato on a hot breakfast sandwich. I was craving quesodillas the other night so I went out and bought some whole wheat tortillas. What I came up this morning was delicious, healthy, and super simple to make.

Easy guacamole 
1 avocado
1/2 lime
pinch of salt to taste
handful of grape tomatoes

Ingredients (for 2 burritos)
3 eggs
shredded cheese
2 tortillas
1 chicken apple sausage (costco)

I diced the tomatoes and mixed it together with the avocado, lime juice, and salt to make the guacamole. Next, I heated up my frying pan and slightly warmed the 2 tortillas up. After dicing the sausage, I added a bit of olive oil onto the pan and panfried the sausage bits until slightly brown. Crack eggs onto the pan and scramble. When the eggs are almost done, I separated it into two equal portions and sprinkled cheese on top. To assemble, scoop half of the eggs onto the tortilla and top it with half of the avocado mixture. Enjoy with ketchup and Tapatio.

Voila! Super easy, delicious, and nutritious! My mom's a pretty harsh critic and even she was wowed by these. She even gave me the biggest completment because she said my dad would love these (he's tougher critic than she is).

Crispy Fish Tacos

This was the very first recipe I wrote over at JunnieBites (now my mom's blog) back in 2010.  I just wanted to share this here as I branch off and start my own blog.

These are still the crispiest fish tacos I've ever had and I'm going to have to make these some time soon. These tacos are amazingly yummy with extra crispy beer batter fish and a delicious sauce to top it off. We made these by adapting a recipe I found here.

This was also our first successful main dish dinner made from scratch by my sisters and I. Mom is always the one to make the main dinner. We can generally make pasta, other simple foods. We can also make practically any type of dessert but meat is something we can't really cook from scratch yet (that's Mom's expert arena). We never deep fried anything by ourselves either so this dinner was really fun to make :)

Ingredients

1 bag of tilapia fish (2 lbs)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup beer

1 cup mayonaise
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp minced capers (optional)
dried oregano
paprika
ground cayenne pepper
garlic salt

1 package of 30 corn tortillas
1/2 head of cabbage
cilantro
salsa

1. Prepare the taco topping goodies. Finely shred the cabbage. Wash and chop the cilantro.
2. Make the topping sauce. Measure out about 1 cup of mayonnaise. Whisk in the juice of 1 lemon and add the following spices to your taste: cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic salt, and dried oregano. I wish I had the exact measurements for you but I just mixed stuff into the sauce until it tasted good. I'll try to get the measurements the next time we make fish tacos. Minced capers are optional. The original recipe called for them and I was about to omit them but since I was surprised to find them in my spice cabinet, I added them.
3. Mix the dry ingredients for the beer batter in a big bowl (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt). Mix the egg together with the beer and then quickly stir into the dry flour mixture. It doesn't matter if there are lumps. Mix the batter but don't overdo it because we want the bubbles to stay.
4. Heat up canola oil in a frying pan.
5. Cut the fillet into approximately 4 strips. Lightly dust each strip of fish in all purpose flour before dunking it into the beer batter.
6. After dipping the fish into the beer batter, put it into the hot oil and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain them on paper towels when they are done and then move them onto a cooling rack to preserve their crunchiness.
7. Warm the tortillas on a hot frying pan. No need for oil.
8. To assemble delicious tacos: put some mayo sauce on the taco, place the fish on it, top it with some salsa, the shredded lettuce, and chopped cilantro. Serve with wedges of lemon.

Enjoy! Our dad doesn't typically like Mexican food but he ate three of these babies :D