Build a Beautiful Banh Mi Summer Sandwich

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This iconic Vietnamese sandwich comes in many different iterations. Even in Vietnam, no two combinations are ever alike. You can vary the ingredients to suit the season and your own preferences. The key ingredients are quickly marinated, shredded or thinly sliced vegetables, and a good, spicy aioli or mayonnaise. In this version, we decided to go with vegan mayo to speed things up and because it does not contain raw eggs (which are a concern in warm temperatures).

This makes speedy use of leftover rotisserie chicken or deli turkey. If you’re in a hurry, pick up pre-washed, pre-cut vegetables from the Lakewinds salad bar.

Serves 2 to 4

 

Ingredients

Sambal Mayonnaise

½ cup vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sambal

 

Quick Vegetable Pickle

½ cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup shredded or thinly sliced carrot

¼ cup shredded or thinly sliced radish (daikon, beauty heart, or breakfast)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

 

Banh Mi

1 12-inch baguette, sliced in half lengthwise

½ pound roast chicken, shredded

1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced

1 small jalapeño, seeded, deveined and thinly sliced

Lime juice to taste

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

 

Directions

Sambal Mayo: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sambal, sugar, and dash of lime juice. Set aside.

Pickled Vegetables: In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar and honey and set over low heat, stirring until combined. Put the carrot, radish, and scallions into a medium bowl and add the vinegar mixture. Set aside.

To Build the Banh Mi: Pull some of the center out of the baguette halves, leaving a cavity for the filling. Place the baguette under the broiler to lightly toast, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Spread each half of the toasted baguette with the sambal mayonnaise and fill the cavity of the bottom half of the bread with the sliced chicken, pickled carrot, radish, scallion, cucumber and jalapeño pepper slices. Squeeze lime juice over the filling, sprinkle with the cilantro and top with the other half baguette. Slice the sandwich in half or quarters and serve ASAP!