Bahn Mi Birthday Party

Have you eaten a Bahn Mi sandwich?
It is an amazing flavor Vietnamese sandwich that combines grilled meat, crunchy baguette, cucumber slices, pickled veggies, jalapenos, herbs and sauce. Sometimes you can also get pate added to the mix as well. They are absolutely delicious. We usually pick up a few at Best Baguette, but have been wanting to try and make our own.

Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday with a homemade bahn mi fest with my family. Although there are many parts to the sandwiches, it only takes about an hour to get everything ready for assembly. It is a great party food because everyone can make up their own sandwich (or sandwiches, as is the case with my family!) Throw in a salad and you are done!

We bought the pickled daikon and carrots at the local Asian market, but here is a recipe to make your own.

We found the recipe for the pork marinade recipe from Battle of the Bahn Mi, a website that will answer ALL of your bahn mi questions. I hope you try this recipe out for your next get together. This makes enough for about a dozen sandwiches.  

Bahn Mi Pork Sandwich 
For The Pork:

3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, thinly sliced
8 cloves crushed garlic
8 table spoons of fish sauce
8 teaspoons sugar
6-8 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper. If you like the spice and flavor, add more!
3 minced shallots, or 1/2 of a small onion minced

1 cup vegetable oil
4 teaspoon of sesame seed oil 

To Make the Pork:
1. Marinate meat in all the ingredients for at least an hour.
2. Heat up a large skillet and pan-fry 2-3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
3. Slice into thin strips and load up onto a baguette!


For Sandwich Sauce: Mix together
1/2 cup low-fat mayo
1 tablespoon fish sauce

For Sandwich Assembly
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2-3 jalapenos, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro
4-6 cups pickled daikon and carrots
12 6 inch baguettes or a larger baguette cut into pieces

To make up the sandwich slice the baguette length-wise, pile on all the ingredients and slather on a bit of the sauce. Enjoy!