The NYT Food section had a real teaser yesterday in Lo, a New Age of Heroes, an article about heated hoagies (grinders, subs, whatever). The first one came in the second paragraph:
Already on the rise as part of the New York food scene is the Vietnamese banh mi — a toasted baguette filled with pork, pickled vegetables, fresh coriander and mayonnaise. Restaurants here add things like grilled shrimp and grilled mushrooms.
But there’s more…
PERHAPS the ultimate cross-cultural hot hero is the sandwich that has become known as a banh mi. In "Authentic Vietnamese Cooking," Corinne Trang translates banh mi as a Saigon baguette. She writes that the Vietnamese "took this quintessential Gallic invention and made it their own by substituting rice flour for half of the wheat flour."
Okay, suppose we’d like to try making banh mi? Guess you’d just substitute rice flour for half the wheat flour. That would make a nice experiment, but I searched around for confirmation. I did run across several caveats about the delicacy of this bread – so fluffy that it must be used the same day it is baked or another about the lowered gluten, which makes the dough very sticky (and not very robust) – but no recipes. Finally, on about page 10 of the Google hits, I got a link to an old standby – Gail’s Recipe Exchange on Epicurious.com. You can thank Olga D (Ont) for this one, apparently lifted from Authentic Vietnamese Cooking: Food from a Family Table, by Corinne Trang (Simon and Schuster). It appears as though the simple substitution would do the trick…
Banh Mi
(Siagon Baguette)
From 'Authentic Vietnamese Cooking:
Food from a Family Table'
by Corinne Trang (Simon and Schuster)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
To prepare: Place the yeast, 1 cup lukewarm water, and sugar in the bowl of a mixer with a dough hook. Sift together the all-purpose flour, rice flour and salt in a separate bowl.
Starting the mixer at the lowest speed, add the butter to the yeast, then gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until well combined, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and continue beating the dough until it is smooth and comes away from the sides of the mixing bowl easily. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface,cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise (double in volume), 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Punch down the dough and knead it for about 2 minutes. Separate into 2 portions and shape each into an 8-inch-long baguette. (The dough may be sticky and hard to handle at this point. Do not overwork it, just gently shape it.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise a second time, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, place a baking stone on a rack set in the middle of the oven and pre-heaat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
With a sharp knife blade or a clean razor blade, make 1 slit lengthwise or three diagonal slits along the top of each baguette. With the help of a wooden pastry paddle, carefully slide 2 baguettes onto the baking stone and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. To test for doneness, tap the underside of a loaf. If it sounds hollow and the exterior is crisp, then it is done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before handling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vietnamese-Style Sandwich: Banh Mi
Recipe courtesy Anthony Nguyen, Saigon Banh
Mi So # 1, NYC
Slaw:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup julienned carrot
1/2 cup julienned daikon radish
Kosher salt
Seasoned Pork:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
6 ounces ground pork
1 tablespoon roast pork seasoning mix, available in Asian markets
Pinch garlic powder
Pinch ground black pepper
Sandwiches:
4 (10-inch) baguettes
Mayonnaise, as needed
8 thin slices Vietnamese-style pork roll
(cha lua), or bologna
8 slices Vietnamese-style salami, or ham or turkey
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
1/4 medium English cucumber, cut lengthwise into 4 slices
Freshly ground black pepper
Asian-style chili oil, to taste, optional
Make the slaw: In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and vinegar and bring to a boil. Transfer the vinegar mixture to a bowl and cool. Add the carrot and daikon, mix well, and season with salt. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes or store in the refrigerator up to overnight.
Meanwhile, make the seasoned pork: Heat the oil in small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft. Add the pork, seasoning, garlic, and pepper and cook, stirring, until just cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the heat and set aside covered with foil to keep warm.
Make the sandwiches: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the baguettes open lengthwise, and slather the insides with mayonnaise. Arrange the baguettes on a baking sheet and bake until hot and crusty about 5 minutes. Remove the baguettes from the oven and immediately fill each with some of the seasoned pork. In each sandwich, arrange 2 slices each of the pork roll and salami, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon cilantro, 1 slice cucumber, ground pepper, and chili oil, if using. Serve immediately.
5:46:51 AM 
|
