Banh Mi: Vietnamese Sandwiches

My obsession with Vietnamese food is definitely not a secret to my close friends and family. It began after moving to San Francisco where Vietnamese restaurants are as common as hole in the wall taco shops in Southern California. I've already expressed my love for pho and bun bowls but what I crave most is Banh Mi or simply-Vietnamese sandwiches. The combination of ingredients has changed the way I think about matching flavors in my cooking. The salty pork, sweet and sour pickled carrots, the spice from the chiles offset by the cooling cucumbers, and the herbal notes from the cilantro make this one of the most complex, delicious tasting sandwiches in the world. My local Vietnamese hole in the wall, Irving Cafe & Deli, is one of the places I miss the most when I'm out of the city. I tried my best to replicate the perfection of their sandwiches here in Melbourne and it turned out pretty well! 

I used an Asian barbecue marinade mix since I'm not staying here for much longer and didn't want to stock up on a bunch of new bottles and spices. This one was absolutely perfect for these sandwiches and can be found in most grocery stores on the international food isle. 

Vietnamese Sandwiches

Ingredients:

For Pickled Carrots: 

1 Large Carrot, shredded (you can shred to whatever size you like or chop into match sticks)

2 tsp. Superfine Sugar (more, depending on how sweet you want it)

2 tsp. Salt

2 Tbs. White or Rice Vinegar

For pork:

1/2 lb. Deboned Pork Leg or tenderloin if you're fancy, cut into thin, bite-sized pieces

1/2 packet of Mama Sita's Barbecue Marinade Mix

2 Tbs. Vegetable oil

For the rest of Sandwich:

3 Baguette Sandwich Rolls--You want some that are slightly crusty on the outside, soft on the inside

1 English Cucumber, sliced on a diagonal

1 Serrano Chili, thinly sliced (optional)

1 Bunch of Cilantro

Mayonnaise 

Cracked Black Pepper

Fish Sauce for drizzling on top (optional)

Directions:

After shredding the carrots add the salt and let sit while you chop the pork. Squeeze the liquid out of the carrots and add the rest of the ingredients. Let sit for at least 45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. After cutting the pork, coat with 1/2 packet of marinade mix. Let it marinate at room temperature 30 minutes before cooking. Add the 2 tablespoons of oil to a wok or large frying pan. Cook the pork pieces on medium high heat until just cooked and still tender, around 6-8 minutes if your pan is large. 

While the pork is cooking, throw the baguette rolls into the oven to warm. To assemble the sandwiches slice the rolls in half leaving one side still attached, spread a thin layer of mayonnaise, top with 1/3 of the pork, three or four pieces of cucumber, a couple slices of chili pepper (or more if you can handle it), a few sprigs of cilantro, and the pickled carrots. Finish with a crack of black pepper and a drizzle of fish sauce for even more umami flavor.

What's Cookin' in Melbourne-Lamb Chops with Mint Pesto and Creamy Polenta

Lamb Chops with Mint Pesto (adapted from Claire Robinson)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves, from about 1 large bunch
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 lemon, zested, plus 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoons water 
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 lamb rib chops, Frenched (bones cleaned)

Directions

Put the mint, pine nuts, zest, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a food processor or mortar and pestle. Pulse until finely chopped. While mixing, add the lemon juice and slowly drizzle in the oil until thick and smooth. Add the water until a thick but spreadable paste forms; continue adding water until desired consistency. Taste pesto and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Generously drizzle the lamb chops with oil, sprinkle with minced garlic, and season well with salt and pepper. Allow lamb to marinate while coming to room temperature for 30 minutes. While the lamb is marinating, prepare the polenta according to the package directions. I used chicken stock and a generous handful of pecorino romano cheese in mine (you can also use parmesan). Most polentas take about 20 minutes to prepare. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.Grill lamb, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare; remove to a serving platter and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Put a heaping spoonful of polenta onto your plate and top with the lamb and mint pesto. Enjoy!

Cravings and San Diego Pizza

Moving from San Diego to San Francisco only presented one semi-large problem for me: Mexican food. Going from eating a burrito or two a day in San Diego to trying countless flavorless, rice and lettuce filled burritos in San Francisco really posed a challenge for me. Luckily, after two years I've found a taco shop here to tide me over and my cravings have changed from Mexican to Vietnamese. But let me tell you, it took a year of withdrawals to get over my Mexican addiction. To this day, whenever I fly back into San Diego, I request(more like demand) to  head to El Indio, my favorite place for chicken burritos EVER, straight from the airport and my parents are usually happy to comply. :)

Since getting to Melbourne, I haven't really had any cravings for food that I miss. Melbourne has such an awesome and diverse food culture and hadn't left me dissatisfied, until yesterday. I'm not sure what brought it on but I got a fierce craving for Pat and Oscar's San Diego pizza. This pizza is the ultimate California style pizza mixing international ingredients and flavors with innovative topping ideas. This particular pizza has a mix of Italian pesto, California avocados, traditional mozzarella, salty Greek feta, and red onions for a bit of color. I decided to make a home-made version to bring back those flavors. I made it easy for myself by buying a pizza base(although it would be much better if I had my hands on some actual pizza dough) and jarred pesto. 

San Diego Pizza (Inspired by Pat and Oscar's Restaurants)

Ingredients:

1 Frozen or Fresh Pizza Base

1/3 Cup Basil Pesto

1/4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/4 Cup Feta Cheese 

1/2 Avocado sliced into thin strips

1/2 Small Red Onion thinly sliced

Small Handful of coarsely chopped cilantro(optional)

Directions: Slather the pizza base with the pesto, leaving about 1/2 inch along the edges for the crust. Top with mozzarella, crumbled feta, avocado slices, red onion, and cilantro(if using). Bake according to pizza base instructions. Usually around 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Boozy Bordeaux: Part II

The rest of our week spent in the Bordeaux region was made up of wine tastings and day excursions to the city and surrounding beach towns. 

The city of Bordeaux is a bustling metropolis filled with fast moving cars, floods of people, and fabulous shopping. I would love to go back someday and see more of the city itself but wine tastings were calling and I was more than happy to answer. 

French Wine completely inspired me. We took multiple château and cellar tours throughout our week in Medoc. This region is one of the most famous red wine producing areas in the world. About 80% of the wine produced here is red. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot grapes are combined in a variety of proportions to produce mostly full bodied and a few softer red wines. We had some memorable tours at Pichon Longueville, Kirwan, and Lynch Bages. My favorite château tour was at Pichon Longueville where we learned about the history of the winery, harvesting the grapes, and even saw some of the winery workers in action transferring wine into new barrels.

Chateau Pichon Longueville

 A grape almost ready for harvest. The wineries test the sugar content and acidity in comparison to weight.

 After destemming, pressing, crushing, and the whole fermentation process, the wine is put into barrels to begin aging.

Generally wine is pumped into a new barrel every 3 months to separate the clear wine from the sediment filled.

This sediment filled wine is sold to other wineries for blending and our tour guide also said something about the wine being sold to the government for tax deductions. Sweet deal huh?

Overall, my experiences in France have given me a whole new appreciation for food and wine. The amount of time, energy, and passion that goes into creating such beautiful products inspires me to do the same. I'm actually thinking about going back to France sometime next year to work on an organic farm. Learning where and how our food is grown will just intensify my knowledge and respect for wholesome delicious food. If anyone has any experience or advice please pass it on! I hope to one day have my own business to show off the enthusiasm I have for food and peoples' enjoyment of it. 

Beautifully Boozy Bordeaux: Part I

September 13, 2010

Sorry I’ve been MIA for a while! We’ve been in the middle of the French countryside since Saturday afternoon(no wifi for miles!). We arrived at our “Chateau” after an hour and a half drive out of Bordeaux to a region called Medoc. We were greeted by an older French couple who showed us the lay of the land (ie. how to use the stove/washing machine) in as best English as they could manage. This six bedroom/three bathroom house was absolutely beautiful. Although I’m not sure when it was built, you can definitely tell from the wooden shutters and stone walls it was a classic French cottage and is still covered in green and eye-catching purple from the flowers. We cooked amazingly fresh meals, shared countless bottles of wine and even had a few ping-pong tournaments (with my mom as the reigning champion).

Far away from city limits, this huge piece of land has a garden full of pines, walnut and hazelnut trees. We even found some rosemary, tomatoes, mint, and dill as we scoured the grounds. Our neighbors have huge yards with guard dogs, happy horses who trim lawns, and blackberries galore. After settling into the château, we decided to head into nearest town of Pauillac. A beautiful town with a catholic church at its center and a bunch of older buildings and cobblestone alleyways. Delicious seafood restaurants and specialty shops line its waterfront on the Dordogne River. 

While the good Catholic ladies of the group were soaking in their French Latin on a lovely Sunday morning in Pauillac, the other half of us went to explore the town and find a decent market. Wandering through the alleyways, we ran into two cats on a windowsill with ropes tied around their necks(to keep them from wandering too far). Just inside, a charming round French woman came to the window to greet us. She was clearly not a city dweller but a friendly townie who loved her humble community. After a lot of smiling and nodding she not only pointed us in the right direction but told us to wait while she put on some shoes to lead us there. Walking the 4 or 5 blocks to the market we attempted friendly conversation but found our language barrier too large. Nonetheless, we exchanged 'mercis' and 'bon voyages' and continued on with our food quest.

To be continued...

G'Day

After a whirlwind European tour, I'm now in Melbourne, Australia for about a month. My apologies for not keeping the blog updated-I've been on the move for weeks. I did get the chance to write a bit about each city but I need to edit and organize before posting. Here are some food photos from my travels to keep you slightly entertained while I get myself settled.

PARIS

Written September 11th, 2010

Bonjour!

We’re on our way to Bordeaux from Paris via TGV as I type. The view isn’t so bad…nothing but rolling green hills full of sunflowers, corn, and grapes.

France has been absolutely amazing. We’ve eaten great meals, met fascinating locals, and seen many of the wonders of the world. Some of the highlights include an open market tour at La Marche d’Aligre, bike riding through the Versailles gardens, wandering through the peaceful Pere-Lachaise Cemetary, touring through the beautifully mysterious cathedrals, and eating fabulous dinners including one up on the Eiffel tower.

 The market tour was great! We met up with our tour guide, Marc, outside the metro and the three of us (yes, we got a private tour!) wandered through the market taking in the wafting smell of fresh fruit. Our guide gave us an insider’s experience into the best pastry shop, fromagerie, and chocolaterie in the area. We sampled three of the best tasting pastries I’ve ever had, about 8 different cheeses, and endless amounts of chocolate and marcarons. The chocolatier was so excited and passionate about his art. He had us sample nearly half the ones in his shop!

We went to Versailles on Friday and toured the extremely crowded palace and the maze-like gardens full of tree lined trails and various farm animals. The palace was beautiful but once you’ve seen a few rooms, they all start to look the same. The gardens were the most impressive part of the grounds…Hundreds of marble statues, fountains, and miles and miles of green. Riding around on bikes was a great way to get around and see more in a short amount of time.

Pere-Lachaise cemetery was one of the first places we went. The tone was set when we woke up to clouds and sprinkles…perfect lighting. This was one of the most interesting and beautiful places I've ever experienced in my life. Thousands of graves and tombs stacked on top of each other. Old and new colliding just like the rest of the city. We visited all of the famous graves including Edith Piaf, James Morrison, and Oscar Wilde. None of them were particularly exciting tombstones but just wandering through the endless cobblestone paths put me in unexpected state of ease.

Paris is clearly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Now if I can only find a job and get my visa cleared…

Au Revoir!

Today is the day! I'll be taking a 13 hour flight to Paris with one stop in Houston. We'll be sure to pop some tylenol PMs and sip some wine in flight to get through it. :) See you all in November!