In their Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet cookbook, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid shared that Banh Mi or also often referred to as Mekong subs are standard street fare from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Phnom Penh to Vientiane. The French introduced bakery-produced baguettes to their Southeast Asian colonies (Vietname, Cambodia, and Laos) and they become an entrenched part of the food traditions in towns and cities. Mekong subs are a brilliant example of a colonized cuisine co-opting a good idea and going it one better.
I first got hooked to banh mi when I still lived in Oklahoma. I can never forget this little Vietnamese shop that is located in the almost-middle-of-the-street with a milk bottle on top of the roof. It’s a pretty distinctive way to be recognize isn’t it ? I can’t remember who brought me there for the first time. The store is really tiny and the banh mi is freshly made when you order. The best thing about this place, besides the great banh mi they have, is the price of the banh mi. You can get 3 banh mi for $5.00 (tax included). Yes…where can you get a deal like that. The banh mi is huge too and loaded with meat and all the good stuff. Geez…I’m hungry just typing it. Every time I visited the little Vietnamese town there, I always got the banh mi. I might not be able to eat all 3 at one go, but I always got 3. They were selling it for $2.00 each with tax included (which was still cheaper than the banh mi I bought here, it was for $2.75 before tax).
What makes this sandwich so special (at least to me) is the Vietnamese baked pate, the mayonnaise, the pickled daikon and carrots shreds along with fresh coriander to top it off. The whole combination is simply bombastic. Love this sandwich so much. Banh mi is certainly has gained lots of popularity in North America these days.
BANH MI/ VIETNAMESE SANDWICH
What you will need:
- One 6- to 8-inch length French bread/baguette, split, or substitute a kaiser roll, sliced open
- Butter (optional)
- Mayonnaise
- Vietnamese Baked Cinnamon pate or store bought)
- Carrot and daikon pickled salad
- Minced bird chiles or slices of jalapeno (optional)
- Coriander sprigs
Instructions:
- Spread both cut sides of the bread lightly with butter on one side and mayonnaise on the other. Lay few pieces of pate slices on it. Top with carrot and daikon shreds and a few pieces of minced chiles, if using, and coriander, spreading them along the length of the sandwich. Close and press firmly but gently to make the sandwich hold together. Serve whole or cut crosswise in half
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