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!