I overheard Casey telling my parents last night during Easter dinner that he had an epic food week (thanks to me). That’s exactly what you want to overhear, isn’t it? Especially when you pour your heart & soul into feeding others. It’s not like he doesn’t tell me he loves it when I make food for him, but to hear him tell other people? Well, that’s just awesome. During this “epic” food week, I made a version of Greek salad that had tabouleh mixed in, summer rolls from scratch, some of the crispiest potatoes ever with grilled lamb for Easter and his most favorite food ever—Banh-Mi. Whew! Epic!
I’ve never made Banh-Mi before. I’ve always wanted to but it seemed kind of out of reach. We usually go out for Banh-Mi because it’s pretty reasonable, but the last time we went out they tried to charge us $8 per sandwich. I don’t think so!
What was stopping me? First of all, I felt like I might not be able to match all the sandwiches my husband has devoured in the last 6 years. I also thought that grilling pork would be hard (it’s NOT). I was super concerned about getting the bread right (the bread worked, but now I think I have a better source!). Pickling my own veggies seemed laborious (so super duper easy and daikon is at my local Whole Foods). I was also worried that what I made wouldn’t be super authentic (who cares when it tastes soo dang good & just like the Bahn-Mi we get out to eat?!) All the issues were just in my head because this recipe is a snap!
The only problem is…I think I set the bar even higher when it comes to home cooked meals. Oof!
And we’re off!
It all starts with the marinade. The flavor is FANTASTIC.
Sidenote: I’m totally going to make this pork over & over again. It’s so good.
Slice up the pork tenderloin and evenly coat in the marinade. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
The key to an authentic Banh-Mi is the pickled vegetables. Carrots & Daikon.
Daikon tastes a lot like a radish mixed with jicama.
Heat the water/vinegar/salt/sugar in a sauce pan til the sugar dissolves.
Put the julienned carrots & daikon in the pan. Turn off the heat and let it sit until it reaches room temp.
It’s all about the assembly line!
Authentic Banh-Mi includes mayo. We don’t have mayo in our house because we don’t like mayo.
So I used Greek yogurt with the sriracha sauce for the spicy spread. It worked like a charm!
Heat up your grill or grill pan. Grill the meat!
Cut up the bread and get it ready to broil.
Meat’s done. Bread is in the broiler.
Now let’s build one of our sandwiches!
Spread the bottom with pâté & the spicy spread.
Now add the pork.
Layer on the cucumbers, pickled vegetables, cilantro…
And top with jalapeños.
Because my husband loves a fried egg on his Banh-Mi….
I just had to. If you’re wondering how to make a Perfect Fried Egg. Here you go!
Time to get super excited.
You’d better get in here….
Before I eat your sandwich and this is all that’s left.
Excuse me while I act like Roomba and inhale the scraps.
makes 4-6 servings recipe slightly adapted from Mad Hungry Cravings
