Braunschweiger Banh Mi Recipes

PORK AND PATE BANH MI

Steps:

• For the roast pork: Combine the garlic, shallots, fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, black pepper and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) water in a blender; puree until combined, about 20 seconds. Place the pork in a medium bowl, then pour the marinade over the top and massage well. Marinate for at least 1 hour.
• Heat a medium skillet on high heat and add some oil. When you see white wisps of smoke, saute the pork until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• For the pickled carrots: Combine the sugar, vinegar, salt, peppercorns and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then remove it from the heat. Add the cilantro and carrots and stir to coat them in the pickling mixture. Let stand until the carrots have softened, at least 30 minutes or up to overnight in the refrigerator. Drain them well and set aside. You can make this days ahead and keep refrigerated in an airtight container.
• For the banh mi build: Combine the mayonnaise and pate in a bowl, then spread on the top and bottom of the toasted bread. Top it with the cilantro leaves, chiles, cucumber ribbons, pickled carrots and the grilled pork. There may be some leftover pork, so smash it into your mouth and enjoy while building the banh mi. Sprinkle with the soy sauce and close with the upper half of the baguette.

BANH MI SLAW

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned) and 1/4 cup each sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes; let cool. Combine 1 cup each shredded daikon radishes and carrots in a bowl. Add the vinegar mixture and refrigerate 30 minutes. Stir in 1 thinly sliced jalapeno and 1/2 cup cilantro.

BANH MI

Steps:

• Place rice vinegar, water, and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute. Allow the mixture to cool.
• Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the carrot, radish, and onion in a bowl, and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes. Drain off the excess vinegar mixture after the vegetables have marinated.
• While the vegetables are marinating, preheat the oven's broiler, and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Lightly oil a slotted broiler pan.
• Sprinkle the chicken breast with garlic salt and pepper, and broil on slotted broiler pan, turning once, until the center of the chicken breast is no longer pink and the surface has browned, about 6 minutes per side. Remove the broiled chicken, and slice into bite-size pieces.
• Slice the baguette in half the long way, and pull the center of the bread out of the baguette halves, leaving a cavity for the filling. Place the baguette halves under the broiler to lightly toast, 2 to 3 minutes.
• To assemble the bahn mi sandwich, spread each half of the toasted baguette with mayonnaise, and fill the cavity of the bottom half of the bread with broiled chicken, cucumber slices, pickled carrot, onion, and radish, cilantro leaves, and jalapeno pepper. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the filling, and top with the other half of the baguette.

PORK BANH MI

Steps:

• For the pork: Combine the garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons vinegar in a bowl and mix well to combine. (Reserve the rest of the bottle of vinegar for the pickles, below.)
• Pound out the pork chops using a meat tenderizer until they are 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Add the pork to the marinade and turn to fully coat. Marinade for 10 minutes, or up to 30 minutes.
• Remove the pork from the marinade. Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, then sear the pork chops for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Set aside to rest.
• For the pickles: Put the salt, sugar, red pepper and the remainder of the bottle of vinegar in a saucepan. Heat until the mixture comes to a low boil, then add the radishes, jalapeños and carrots. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and drain.
• To assemble: Combine the mayo and sriracha in a small bowl to taste. Halve the French bread and spread with the sriracha mayo on both the tops and bottoms. Top with the cucumbers. Slice the pork and lay the slices on the cucumbers. Top with the pickled vegetables and the other half of the French bread.

BANH MI BURGER

Steps:

• For the patties: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the pork, beef and shrimp. Do not over mix as this will cause the proteins to become sticky. Portion into four 7-ounce burger patties and refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to use.
• For the banh mi marinade: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the fish sauce and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the curry paste and whisk until it's completely broken up. Add the lime juice, ginger, turmeric, garlic, lemongrass, chile, shallot, lime leaves, basil and mint and mix well.
• For the curry aioli: Combine the mayo, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, curry powder, ginger juice, Sriracha and turmeric and whisk until smooth. Set aside and chill.
• For the nuoc mam sauce: In a mixing bowl, whisk the sugar and hot water until dissolved. Add the fish sauce, vinegar, garlic and chile and mix well.
• To assemble: Preheat a grill to medium to medium-high heat. Dip the patties into the banh mi marinade and grill to desired doneness. During the grilling process, continue to dip the patties in the marinade to form a flavorful crust on the outside of the patties.
• Grill or toast the buns. Next, grill the pork loaf slices about 2 minutes on each side.
• Place a burger patty on the bottom bun followed by 2 slices pork loaf. Add 1 teaspoon curry aioli, and then the carrots and daikon. Finish with the lettuce and the top bun. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve the nuoc mam on the side as a dipping sauce.