Aardvark’s Red Scorpion Bahn Mi

Ahhh. The iconic Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwich is a pleasure trip. Sweet, sour, spicy and savory—so much flavor to be crammed into a humble baguette.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus approx. 30 min. marinating time)

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Essential elements:

• Protein: Grilled pork is traditional, but chicken, tofu, even Spam (yes, we said that) or pate would be tasty.
• Pickled vegetables: A mix of shredded carrots and daikon radish pickled in vinegar, sugar, and salt. The pickling is easy if you want to try it. It takes only a couple of minutes to assemble and 30 minutes to pickle.
• Fresh herbs: Chopped cilantro or even mint.
• Cucumber: For yummy fresh flavor and crunch.
• Jalapenos (optional): For even more spicy kick and crunch.

Ingredients

For the Spread:

Combine mayonnaise with our sriracha-style Red Scorpion Fiery Hot Sauce (add as much as you dare). It’s got enough heat to curl your toes and a complex flavor that cleans the floor with all those other sriracha sauces. Add a dab of sweet chili sauce, honey, or jam for a touch more sweetness, if you like.

For the Pickled Vegetables:

1 carrot (julienned)

1 daikon radish (julienned)

1 cucumber (sliced thin)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

For the Protein:

1/2 lb pork belly (sliced) or substitute tofu

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 clove minced garlic

For the Sandwich:

4 baguette rolls

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

1 jalapeño (thinly sliced)

1/2 cucumber (thinly sliced)

Fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Pickle the Vegetables:

Combine water, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Stir until sugar dissolves.

Add carrots, daikon, and cucumber. Stir, cover and refrigerate. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the Protein:

Combine fish sauce, honey, garlic, black pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce.

Pour over pork belly. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Grill pork over medium heat for approx. 5 minutes per side until done. Let it cool slightly, then slice thinly.

For Tofu: pan-fry until golden.

Put it Together and Eat:

Slice baguettes in half and slather with Red Scorpion spread.

Add pork belly or tofu and drained pickled veggies.

Top with jalapeño, cucumber slices, basil leaves, and cilantro.

Chow down!