Cooking in Corona days with Karni Tomer- Food Explorer Vietnamese Banh Mi
Banh Mi- The perfect Vietnamese sandwich, a combination of the east and west.
A crispy French baguette on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, stuffed with chicken thigh, marinated in a lemongrass sauce,topped with pickled carrot and radish, drizzled with mayonnaise and sweet or spicy chili sauce. A combination of winning flavors and of course
coriander and mint leaves are added for an extra refreshment.
Recipe for Baguette:
1. 1.5 teaspoon dry yeast
2. 180ml lukewarm water
3. 1 tbsp sugar (optional)
4. 250g flour
5. 1 spoon of salt
1. Mix the yeast with the lukewarm water
2. You can add a tablespoon of sugar to the yeast activation solution
3. After bubbles appear, add half the amount of flour and mix will
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for 2-3 hours or for a
whole night
5. Add the remaining flour with a teaspoon of salt and knead into the dough. Knead well
until the dough is elastic and soft. It will take about 10 minutes.
6. Roll the dough into a large ball and leave to rise for another hour in a warm place.
7. Divide the dough into three parts and roll into balls. Leave to rise for another 10 minutes
8. Flatten each ball into a rectangle shape and roll into a baguette shape. See video.
9. Lay the baguette on baking paper and leave to rise for another hour to an hour and a
half until doubled in size
10. Slash a line at the top of the baguette with a Japanese knife or a sharp knife.
11. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 230 degrees Celsius.
12. Remove from oven and leave to cool
Chicken thigh in with lemongrass barbecue sauce
1. Half a pound of chicken thigh sliced to 1.3 cm in thickness
2. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
3. 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
4. 1 tablespoon shallots or chopped onion
5. 3 tablespoons thinly sliced lemongrass
6. A quarter teaspoon of black pepper
7. 1.5 teaspoon dark soy
8. 1.5 tablespoon fish sauce
9. 1 tablespoon oil
Mix all the ingredients together.
Soak the chicken thighs for an hour or more. You can soak the chicken thigh overnight in the fridge.Grill the chicken in a stripped pan, until ready on the inside and caramelized on the outside.
Carrots and radish pickles
1. A cup of carrot pieces cut into strips or a Jullian – if you have a special peeler that cuts into long, thin strips, this is excellent. If not, you can make slashes along the carrots and radish and then use a regular peeler
2. A cup of radish cut into strips or jullian
3. 1/2 cup of vinegar
4. 1⁄2 cup of rice vinegar
5. Glass of water
6. 1⁄4 cup of sugar
7. A teaspoon of coarse salt
8. Put the vegetables in a sterilized jar
9. Boil all the ingredients in a pot until boiling and pour onto the vegetables inside the jar
10. Leave the jar to cool
11. Seal the jar and refrigerate in the fridge until used.
12. You can keep the jar in the fridge for up to three weeks.
How to serve the Banh mi:
Spread onto the baguette a thin layer of mayonnaise, sweet Thai chili sauce and/or Sriracha for those who like spicy sauces.
Add the grilled chicken thighs, some of the pickled vegetables, and add some fresh leaves such as mint and coriander.
What a fun sandwich, and definitely worth the effort!
Have a great day,
Karni Tomer – Food Explorer
