We are huge fans of banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches). Our favorite filling for banh mi is Momofuku's simple yet delicious pork belly, so our process starts 3 days before we want to make the sandwiches. Here's our game plan.
day 1 - buy and cure the pork belly
day 2 - roast then chill the pork belly, make the pickled carrots
day 3 - slice the pork belly, briefly heat it, then use it in the sandwiches
But honestly, when we don't have time to make pork belly, we just fill these sandwiches with leftover kalbi or meatballs.
day 1 - buy and cure the pork belly
day 2 - roast then chill the pork belly, make the pickled carrots
day 3 - slice the pork belly, briefly heat it, then use it in the sandwiches
But honestly, when we don't have time to make pork belly, we just fill these sandwiches with leftover kalbi or meatballs.
1 | Halve the bread lengthwise, keeping it attached on one end if possible. Pull out most of the bread guts so that the sandwich doesn't get too doughy. Warm in the oven at 275F. The bread should just be softened and warmed, not crunchy and hot. |
2 | Spread mayonnaise on each half of the bread. Also smear in some pâté at this point if using. |
3 | Fill the sandwich with the meat, cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrots and jalapenos. |
4 | For extra credit, drizzle with Maggi just before serving. Enjoy immediately. |
source: Charles Phan's Vietnamese Home Cooking
notes
We prepared this for friends during the Christmas of 2013. We initially planned to make mini banh mis using pain epi, but were tight on time, so we used 3 light baguettes instead. After crisping the baguette in the oven, we layered on all the ingredients across the length of the halved baguette. We warmed the pork belly in the oven then added it just before serving. Then we simply sliced the baguettes into party-sized pieces.
